immigration

Chispa focused on the 45th because it bordered Santa Ana, and Rep. Steel — who was born in South Korea — had long been a vocal critic of illegal immigration.

Since President-elect Donald Trump won the election earlier this month, Haitian residents of Springfield, Ohio, have been living with a renewed fear of what may come should he follow through on his vow to terminate their temporary legal immigration status.

Though he said he believes Trump's campaign trail promise to end Temporary Protected Status was little more than political posturing to win over voters critical of immigration, he does feel the weight of what the election results could mean for his community.

But even as he beefs up his Cabinet picks with immigration hardliners, Trump's vow of a mass removal of TPS holders currently functions more as a scare tactic than an easily executable plan, legal experts told Salon — and that tactic is working.

His recent spate of Cabinet picks including immigration hardliners makes that threat more pronounced.