Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is facing criticism from conservatives after publicly opposing President Donald Trump's decision to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) protections for Haitian migrants living in the United States.
According to Fox News, while speaking with CBS earlier this week, the Republican governor argued that returning Haitian migrants to their home country would put many of them in danger, describing current conditions in Haiti as dire.
"Haiti is hell today," DeWine said. "So you'd be sending people… back to hell."
DeWine said many Haitian migrants have built lives in Ohio and are unlikely to return voluntarily if required to leave the United States.
"They want to work. They want to support their family. They don't want to go back to Haiti," he said.
The governor pointed to Springfield, Ohio, where thousands of Haitian migrants have settled in recent years, saying they have played an important role in the city's economic recovery.
"These are people who have helped Springfield really come back," DeWine said. "The Haitians who are living there and employed there, they came there to work, and they came there because there were jobs that were not being filled by other people."
His remarks quickly generated backlash online from critics who support President Trump's immigration policies and believe the temporary program should not continue indefinitely.
The debate comes after the Trump administration officially ended TPS protections for Haiti on Monday following a Supreme Court decision that allowed the policy change to move forward.
Temporary Protected Status was created by Congress through the Immigration Act of 1990.
The program allows people from countries experiencing armed conflict, natural disasters or other extraordinary conditions to remain temporarily in the United States.
The Department of Homeland Security defended the administration's decision, saying TPS was never intended to become a permanent immigration program.
"Temporary Protected Status is exactly that — temporary," a DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital earlier this week. "For too long, TPS has been allowed to function as a de facto amnesty program despite Congress never intending it to be permanent."
Supporters of the administration's move argue the program has expanded well beyond its original purpose and should not provide long-term legal status.
DeWine, however, maintained that forcing Haitian migrants to return under current conditions would be a mistake, arguing that many have become productive members of Ohio communities and contribute to the state's workforce.
His comments have placed the Republican governor at odds with President Trump's immigration agenda on one of the administration's latest policy changes.