SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — Immigration advocates in Springfield say the federal government appears to be reducing its use of ankle monitors on Haitian immigrants, while a Haitian pastor detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was released this week. Advocates said Thursday that more Haitians are being offered an app for virtual check-ins rather than a GPS ankle monitor. The change has not been formally announced, and ICE did not confirm whether its policy has shifted. “It’s a big relief for the Haitian community because that thing, the ankle monitor, is — or was — very humiliating,” said Obed Benjamin Louis, an immigration advocate. “So right now we are feeling hope.” Joubert Adrien, a Springfield pastor, was released Wednesday after spending about four weeks in ICE custody. He was detained at a Springfield Sunoco station, according to Haitian Support Center officials. Viles Dorsainvil, co-founder and executive director of the Haitian Support Center, said Adrien spent his time at the Butler County Jail supporting other detainees and helping them navigate the facility’s phone system. “He used the time in jail to minister to other folks in jail,” Dorsainvil said, describing Adrien as a source of comfort to detainees and the broader community. Advocates credited weeks of protests and public pressure with helping secure Adrien’s release. They also connected the apparent decrease in ankle monitors to mounting scrutiny after the death of Pierre Damas Bel, a 20-year-old Haitian immigrant and Wright State University honors student who died by apparent suicide. Bel’s family said he had been distressed after ICE placed an ankle monitor on him. They said the device interfered with his ability to play college soccer and allegedly kept him from receiving his ROTC uniform. The case drew national attention and prompted Republican Gov. Mike DeWine to criticize the use of ankle monitors. ICE has used ankle monitors to track Haitian immigrants in Ohio since late July, after Haitians lost temporary protected status, or TPS, through a federal legal action. As recently as Sept. 3, Dorsainvil said Haitian immigrants were being offered ankle monitors almost exclusively. An ICE spokesperson said officers review each person’s circumstances individually and decide what level of electronic monitoring is appropriate. The spokesperson said the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations office with jurisdiction over a case chooses the technology used. The agency did not say whether protests or Bel’s death influenced the recent changes. Dorsainvil said hundreds of Haitians remain subject to ankle monitoring and that at least 56 Haitians are still in ICE custody in Ohio. Among those detained is Julio Dumano, another Springfield pastor who was taken into custody less than a week after Adrien. The Ohio Immigrant Alliance reported that the number of Haitian detainees in Ohio rose sharply in August. Researchers also said women accounted for 39% of female ICE detainees in Ohio, compared with 2% before August. Dorsainvil described the detention of a Haitian woman who arrived for an ICE check-in after being driven by a volunteer. He said officers kept the woman and returned her 2-month-old baby to the driver, who later brought the infant to the support center before the child was reunited with family. Fear of detention has also affected daily life in Springfield, advocates said. Some Haitians who remain eligible to work are staying home, some parents are keeping children out of school, and the Haitian Support Center is arranging transportation to help families avoid truancy notices. Springfield has about 20,000 residents, including an estimated 12,000 to 15,000 Haitians. The city became a focus of national political attention in 2024 after then-candidate Donald Trump repeated false claims about Haitian immigrants eating pets and promised mass deportations. Local officials condemned those claims. For people experiencing suicidal thoughts or worried about someone who may be in crisis, help is available by calling or texting 988.