Overview:
Haitian residents, faith leaders and immigrant rights advocates have launched a 4-day, 40-mile pilgrimage from Springfield to Columbus, Ohio, to protest immigration practices bringing harm to Haitian families. The pilgrimage is set to conclude West Bank Park in Columbus on Saturday.
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SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — Haitian residents, faith leaders and immigrant advocates kicked off a four-day pilgrimage from Springfield to Columbus Wednesday, calling for an end to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) practices harming families and spreading fear throughout the community.
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Covering more than 40 miles, according to organizers, some Haitians fitted with the ankle monitors are participating to emphasize the “humiliating” feel of the ICE tactic. Each day, they will stop overnight at a church, then resume the walk during the daytime.
Kicking off from Springfield City Plaza, the pilgrimage is scheduled to conclude Oct. 24 with a rally at West Bank Park in Columbus.
Organizers said called for four actions:
- End the ankle monitor program
- Remove ICE from Springfield
- Reunite detained Haitians with their families
- Establish permanent protections for Haitian immigrants
The pilgrimage comes amid heightened uncertainty following the termination of Haiti’s Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation. A June Supreme Court ruling that cleared the way for the administration to end TPS in July 27 has invalidated the legal status of an estimated 350,000 Haitians and their work permits. In Springfield, some former TPS holders were required to surrender their passports and wear ankle monitors after immigration check-ins.
Here are some photos from the first day of the pilgrimage.
All photos are by Steven Pavey / Hope in Focus.
Marchers kick off a 40-mile procession in Springfield, Ohio, demanding an end to ICE tactics harming Haitian families on Wednesday, October 21, 2026.
A Haitian immigrant fitted with an ankle monitor was among those in the 40-mile procession in Springfield, Ohio, on Wednesday, October 21, 2026.
A Haitian marcher holds a placard during the 40-mile procession in Springfield, Ohio, on Wednesday, October 21, 2026.
Procession participants pose for a photo during the pilgrimage in Springfield, Ohio, demanding an end to ICE tactics harming Haitian families on Wednesday, October 21, 2026.
A group of Haitian clergy pose for a photo during the pilgrimage kickoff in Springfield, Ohio, demanding an end to ICE tactics harming Haitian families on Wednesday, October 21, 2026.
Marchers kick off a 40-mile procession in Springfield, Ohio, demanding an end to ICE tactics harming Haitian families on Wednesday, October 21, 2026.
Days prior, a similarly-themed procession took place in New York’s Little Haiti neighborhood on Oct. 17. Bishop Robert Brennan joined nearly 300 people in marching through the streets of Flatbush in Brooklyn to call for the dignity of immigrants to be respected.
Marchers began the procession at St. Jerome Roman Catholic Church in Little Haiti, observed the Stations of the Cross and continued to St. Thérèse of Lisieux several blocks west and concluded at St. Vincent Ferrer.
Bishop Robert Brennan joined marchers through the streets of Flatbush, Brooklyn, on Sunday, October 17, 2026, to pray at the Stations of the Cross.
The faithful during a mass that was part of the procession through the streets of Flatbush on Saturday, October 17, 2026.
Participants during the procession through the streets of Flatbush on Saturday, October 17, 2026.
Participants during the procession through the streets of Flatbush on Saturday, October 17, 2026.
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