SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio city whose Haitian migrants were disparaged by President Donald Trump last year as he pitched voters on his plans for an immigration crackdown is now bracing to defend the community against possible deportation.
A group of about 100 community members, clergy and Haitian leaders in Springfield, Ohio, gathered this week for several days of training sessions as they prepare to defend potential deportees and provide them refuge.
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In this image taken from video, participants take notes during a training hosted by Undivided at Central Christian Church in Springfield, Ohio, aimed at teaching community and church leaders how to support and shelter immigrants facing deportation, Tuesday, July 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Obed Lamy)
In this image taken from video, participants filling out a questionnaire during a training hosted by Undivided at Central Christian Church in Springfield, Ohio, aimed at teaching community and church leaders how to support and shelter immigrants facing deportation, Tuesday, July 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Obed Lamy)
In this image taken from video, participants hold a discussion in a breakout session during a training hosted by Undivided at Central Christian Church in Springfield, Ohio, aimed at teaching community and church leaders how to support and shelter immigrants facing deportation, Tuesday, July 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Obed Lamy)
A woman leads a breakout session during a training hosted by Undivided at Central Christian Church in Springfield, Ohio, aimed at teaching community and church leaders how to support and shelter immigrants facing deportation, Tuesday, July 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Obed Lamy)
“We feel that this is something that our faith requires, that people of faith are typically law-abiding people — that’s who we want to be — but if there are laws that are unjust, if there are laws that don’t respect human dignity, we feel that our commitment to Christ requires that we put ourselves in places where we may face some of the same threats,” said Carl Ruby, senior pastor of Central Christian Church.
Ruby said the ultimate goal of the group is to persuade the Trump administration to reverse its decision to terminate legal protections for hundreds of thousands of Haitians in the U.S. under temporary protected status, or TPS.
“One way of standing with the Haitians is getting out the message of how much value they bring to the city of Springfield,” he said. “It would be an absolute disaster if we lost 10,000 of our best workers overnight because their TPS ends and they can no longer work.”
In lieu of that, Ruby said participants in the effort are learning how to help Haitians in other ways. That includes by building relationships, accompanying migrants to appointments with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and providing their families with physical shelter.
Springfield found itself in an unwelcome spotlight last year after Trump amplified false rumors during a presidential debate that members of the mid-sized city's burgeoning Haitian population were abducting and eating cats and dogs. It was the type of inflammatory and anti-immigrant rhetoric he promoted throughout his campaign.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced in June that it would terminate TPS as soon as Sept. 2 for about 500,000 Haitians who are already in the United States, some of whom have lived here for more than a decade. The department said conditions in the island nation have improved adequately to allow their safe return.
The announcement came three months after the Trump administration revoked legal protections for thousands of Haitians who arrived legally in the country under a humanitarian parole program as part of a series of measures implemented to curb immigration. The U.S. Supreme Court overturned a federal judge’s order preventing the administration from revoking the parole program.
Earlier this month, a federal judge in New York blocked the administration from accelerating an end to Haitians' TPS protections, which the Biden administration had extended through at least Feb. 3, 2026, due to gang violence, political unrest, a major earthquake in 2021 and several other factors.
DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said at the time that the Trump administration would eventually prevail and that its predecessors treated TPS like a “de facto asylum program.” In the meantime, the government has set the expiration date back to early February.
TPS allows people already in the United States to stay and work legally if their homelands are deemed unsafe. Immigrants from 17 countries, including Haiti, Afghanistan, Sudan and Lebanon, were receiving those protections before Trump took office for his second term in January.
Charla Weiss, a founding member of Undivided, the group that hosted the Springfield workshop, said participants were asked the question of how far they would go to help Haitian residents avoid deportation.
“The question that I know was before me is how far am I willing to go to support my passion about the unlawful detainment and deportation of Haitians, in particular here in Springfield,” she said.
It was something Weiss said she continued to contemplate “as an organizer, as a mother, as an African-American who was brought to these states that my ancestors in 1619” throughout the training. “So it is an unanswered question. But I’m willing to continue to look at that question. What will I do? How can I do it? And the other question is, for me, is like, who else will I bring with me?”
Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a longtime supporter of the Haitian community, was briefed by Springfield leaders during a visit to the city Friday. He told reporters that the state is bracing for the potential of mass layoffs in the region as a result of the TPS policy change, a negative for both the workers and the companies that employ them.
“It's not going to be good,” he said.
Smyth reported from Columbus, Ohio.
In this image taken from video, participants take notes during a training hosted by Undivided at Central Christian Church in Springfield, Ohio, aimed at teaching community and church leaders how to support and shelter immigrants facing deportation, Tuesday, July 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Obed Lamy)
In this image taken from video, participants filling out a questionnaire during a training hosted by Undivided at Central Christian Church in Springfield, Ohio, aimed at teaching community and church leaders how to support and shelter immigrants facing deportation, Tuesday, July 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Obed Lamy)
In this image taken from video, participants hold a discussion in a breakout session during a training hosted by Undivided at Central Christian Church in Springfield, Ohio, aimed at teaching community and church leaders how to support and shelter immigrants facing deportation, Tuesday, July 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Obed Lamy)
A woman leads a breakout session during a training hosted by Undivided at Central Christian Church in Springfield, Ohio, aimed at teaching community and church leaders how to support and shelter immigrants facing deportation, Tuesday, July 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Obed Lamy)
RABAT, Morocco (AP) — Senegal has won the Africa Cup of Nations in dramatic fashion.
Pape Gueye scored in extra time for the Teranga Lions to beat host Morocco 1-0 in a chaotic final on Sunday which at one point saw fans trying to storm the field and Senegal’s players walking off the pitch to protest a penalty decision deep into second-half stoppage time.
It appeared unclear if the game could continue as fans battled with stewards.
“We all saw what happened at the end of the match but we took the decision to come back onto the pitch and give everything,” Gueye said.
Play resumed after a stoppage of 14 minutes, only for Senegal's Édouard Mendy to easily save Brahim Díaz’s attempt at a Panenka penalty when he lobbed the ball straight into the goalkeeper’s arms with the last kick of normal time.
Gueye then scored the winning goal in the fourth minute of extra time when he swept the ball into the top right corner with his left boot.
The 69,500-capacity Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium emptied quickly after the final whistle. Few were left to see the Senegalese players lift the trophy.
It’s Senegal’s second Africa Cup win. The Teranga Lions won the 2021 edition after a penalty shootout against Egypt.
There was chaos before extra time after Morocco was awarded a controversial stoppage-time penalty just after Senegal had what seemed a good goal ruled out at the other end.
Senegal's goal in the second minute of stoppage time was ruled out for a foul by Abdoulaye Seck, but TV replays showed little contact on Morocco defender Achraf Hakimi, who fell before Seck headed the ball off the post. Moussa Niakhaté headed in the rebound.
Then Morocco claimed a penalty for a pull by El Hadji Malick Diouf on Brahim, and it was awarded after Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala checked replays.
The decision led to fights between some of the Moroccan substitutes and their opposing players with Morocco coach Walid Regragui also involved, possibly in a bid to calm the situation.
Anger spilled over among the organized group of Senegalese fans, with many jumping down among the photographers and trying to storm the field from behind one of the goals. At least one threw a chair onto the field. They were mostly held back by a long line of police.
There were also fights in the press box — possibly involving Moroccan and Senegalese fans masquerading as journalists to get accreditation — while tempers flared.
“The image we gave of African football was rather shameful,” Regragui said.
Senegal coach Pape Thiaw led his team off the field while Moroccan fans celebrated the penalty decision and whistled the ongoing fighting on the field.
The players returned some 14 minutes later and Brahim – Morocco's star and the tournament's top scorer with five goals – missed the chance to end Morocco's 50-year wait for the trophy.
“Football sometimes is cruel and today we lost,” Regragui said. “We know in a final you need to take the few chances that come your way. That penalty in the last seconds could have won us the title.”
Brahim was whistled by the remaining Morocco fans when he went to collect his runners-up medal.
Instead, Gueye scored Senegal's first goal from open play — rather than from penalties — in a final. This was Senegal's fourth appearance in an Africa Cup final.
“Sadio (Mané) told us to come back on and we re-mobilized,” Gueye said. "Édouard then made the save, we stayed focused, got the goal and won the game.”
Before the game, the Senegalese Football Federation decried a lack of “fair play” from the Moroccan hosts before the final, citing an alleged lack of security, problems with the team hotel, training facilities and ability to get tickets for its supporters.
Senegal was without suspended captain Kalidou Koulibaly and midfielder Habib Diarra, and dealt a further blow before kickoff when Krépin Diatta and Ousseynou Niang both got injured in the warmup. Diatta had been due to start at right back.
Senegalese anger at the penalty decision came after Morocco also seemed to benefit from favorable refereeing calls in previous games. Regragui angrily rejected suggestions the home team was being favored.
Thiaw's post-game press conference was called off because of journalists shouting and arguing when he emerged for their questions. Their arguments continued after Thiaw left the podium.
For Morocco, a 2030 World Cup co-host, defeat is a demoralizing blow. The kingdom has invested heavily in soccer facilities and infrastructure. One of the most aggressive infrastructure buildouts in African sporting history fueled protests in October from mostly young Moroccans who feel other areas are being neglected.
AP at the Africa Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-cup-of-nations
Senegal's Sadio Mane holds the trophy aloft as he celebrates with teammates after winning the Africa Cup of Nations final soccer match between Senegal and Morocco in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Youssef Loulidi)
Senegal's head coach Pape Thiaw holds the trophy after winning the Africa Cup of Nations final soccer match agaisnt Morocco, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Senegal's Idrissa Gueye celebrates after winning the Africa Cup of Nations final soccer match between Senegal and Morocco, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
Senegal's Sadio Mane holds the trophy aloft as he celebrates with teammates after winning the Africa Cup of Nations final soccer match between Senegal and Morocco in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Youssef Loulidi)
Sebegalese players celebrate after winning the Africa Cup of Nations final soccer match between Senegal and Morocco, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Moroccan players lie after losing the Africa Cup of Nations final soccer match between Senegal and Morocco, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Senegal's Sadio Mane celebrates after winning the Africa Cup of Nations final soccer match between Senegal and Morocco, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Senegal's and Morocco[s players scuffle after a penalty call during the Africa Cup of Nations final soccer match between Senegal and Morocco, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Senegal's and Morocco[s players scuffle after a penalty call during the Africa Cup of Nations final soccer match between Senegal and Morocco, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Senegal fans react during the Africa Cup of Nations final soccer match between Senegal and Morocco, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
Senegal's and Morocco[s players scuffle after a penalty call during the Africa Cup of Nations final soccer match between Senegal and Morocco, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
English actor Idris Elba performs during a closing ceremony ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations final soccer match between Senegal and Morocco, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
A general view of the closing ceremony ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations final soccer match between Senegal and Morocco, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
A general view of the closing ceremony ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations final soccer match between Senegal and Morocco, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Darren Jason Watkins Jr., American YouTuber known as IShowSpeed, runs during the closing ceremony ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations final soccer match between Senegal and Morocco, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Senegal players walk onto the pitch before the Africa Cup of Nations final soccer match between Senegal and Morocco, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Morocco fan waits for the Africa Cup of Nations final soccer match between Senegal and Morocco, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Senegal fans wait for the Africa Cup of Nations final soccer match between Senegal and Morocco, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
