BREAKING: Ohio heats up as Haitian illegals fitted with ankle monitors report to ICE and leftists stage protests

A video showing a Haitian immigrant collapsing in tears after being fitted with an ankle monitor at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Ohio has gone viral as dozens of Haitians report for immigration check-ins following the termination of their Temporary Protected Status. One pundit, speaking to Breakthrough News, would admit that the Haitians of Ohio were given the option of going back to Haiti with a free flight and $2,600, or to be monitored.

Monsanto Maler, a Haitian immigrant living in Springfield, was photographed Sunday outside the ICE field office in Blue Ash after receiving an ankle monitor. Benjamin Louis and Viles Dorsainvil were seen helping Maler as he fell to the ground and cried. The scene unfolded as hundreds of people gathered outside the facility to support Haitian immigrants who had been ordered to attend immigration appointments.

The rally, organized by Ignite Peace and the Miami Valley Immigration Coalition, drew an estimated 500 to 550 people, according to Ignite Peace director of development and communications Kelly Sheehy. Demonstrators arrived before 7 a.m. carrying Haitian and American flags and signs supporting immigrants, reports Dayton Daily. “Say it loud, say it clear: immigrants are welcome here,” protesters chanted.

Ignite Peace said approximately 50 to 60 Haitians living in Springfield have received letters requiring them to report for immigration check-ins at the Blue Ash office. ICE says such appointments can be required for people in removal proceedings and are separate from immigration court hearings. The appointments come after the federal government terminated Temporary Protected Status for Haiti. TPS had allowed eligible Haitian nationals to remain and work legally in the United States.

Viles Dorsainvil, executive director of the Haitian Support Center in Springfield, said his organization accompanied 10 Haitian nationals to appointments Sunday. He described the GPS ankle monitors as a "new humiliation" and said he was "crying" after witnessing the appointments.

Sheehy said the demonstrations were intended to draw attention to the immigration process and the distance some Haitians must travel for their appointments.

“A lot of Cincinnatians don’t know that there’s an ICE field office in Blue Ash in the first place,” Sheehy said. “Let alone that people are being asked to drive over 70 miles from their homes for these check-ins when they’ve already been stripped of their driver’s license. They’ve already been stripped of their work permits.”

Video showed one pastor praying with members of the Haitian community, wherein he compares the process to slavery. He prayed that the US's plan would be disrupted to allow the Haitians to stay in the US, and compared the ankle monitors to shackles. 

The Department of Homeland Security began sending "call-in" letters to Haitian nationals in late July, with TPS officially ending July 27.

"Temporary Protected Status is exactly that—temporary," DHS said in a statement. "For those with terminated TPS: it's closing time. You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here. It's not too late to get a $2,600 check and a free flight home."