Bishop Chairmen Call on Administration to Extend Protections for Haitians in the United States

WASHINGTON - “There is simply no realistic opportunity for the safe and orderly return of people to Haiti at this time,” said Bishop Brendan J. Cahill, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Migration, together with Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on International Justice and Peace. 

The bishops’ statement follows U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem’s decision to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti, effective February 3, based on a determination the country no longer meets the conditions for the designation. Over 300,000 Haitians in the United States are covered by the current designation. 

The U.S. Department of State’s own travel advisory for Haiti is Level 4, the highest level, because of “life-threatening risks” that include kidnapping, terrorist activity, and civil unrest; meanwhile, the Federal Aviation Administration is currently prohibiting any flights from the United States to Haiti’s capital.

Bishop Cahill and Bishop Zaidan’s full statement follows: 

“We are deeply concerned about the plight of our Haitian brothers and sisters living in the United States who will soon have their legal status and work authorization revoked due to the Administration’s termination of TPS for Haiti. There is simply no realistic opportunity for the safe and orderly return of people to Haiti at this time. 

“We do not dispute that TPS is intended to be ‘temporary,’ as is often pointed out as a rationale for ending it, which is why we have reaffirmed on so many occasions the need for Congress to create viable opportunities for longtime residents with TPS, regardless of nationality, to request a more durable legal status. However, so long as Congress fails in this regard, and the current conditions in Haiti persist, the onus is on the executive branch to act in a just and merciful way.

“The Trump Administration still has the opportunity to do the right thing—to safeguard human life, to uphold the law, and to promote greater stability for people in this country and beyond. TPS was created by Congress with these very goals in mind, and the ongoing conditions in Haiti are precisely the sort warranting TPS. We urge the Administration to act accordingly by extending this vital relief for Haitians. 

“Most importantly, we reaffirm the U.S. Church’s solidarity with our Haitian brothers and sisters, wherever they may be. We turn to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Patroness of Haiti, for her intercession; may she always be a source of strength and comfort for the Haitian people.”

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Translation of Bishops’ statement in Haitian Creole:

Men Deklarasyon konplè Evèk Cahill ak Evèk Zaidan: 

“Nou enkyete anpil pou frè ak sè ayisyen nou yo ki ap viv Ozetazini e ki kapab pèdi estati legal yo ak otorizasyon pou travay akòz desizyon Administrasyon an pran pou mete fen nan TPS pou Ayiti. Pa gen okenn opòtinite reyalis pou retounen moun Ayiti san danje ak nan lòd kounye a.

“Nou pa kont lide ke TPS fèt pou l ‘tanporè,’ jan sa souvan itilize kòm rezon pou mete fen nan li. Se poutèt sa nou toujou repete anpil fwa bezwen pou Kongrè a kreye opòtinite solid pou rezidan ki gen TPS depi lontan, kèlkeswa nasyonalite yo, pou yo mande yon estati legal ki pi dirab. Sepandan, toutotan Kongrè a pa reponn a bezwen sa a, e toutotan kondisyon aktyèl yo Ayiti kontinye egziste, se devwa pouvwa egzekitif la pou l aji avèk jistis ak mizèrikòd.

“Administrasyon Trump toujou gen chans pou l fè sa ki dwat—pou l pwoteje lavi moun, pou l respekte lalwa, epi pou l ankouraje plis estabilite pou moun nan peyi sa a ak lòt kote. TPS se Kongrè ki te kreye li ak objektif sa yo, e sitiyasyon Ayiti jodi a montre byen klè rezon ki fè TPS egziste. Nou ankouraje Administrasyon an pou l aji kòmsadwa lè l pwolonje sekou vital sa a pou Ayisyen yo.

“Pi enpòtan toujou, nou renouvle solidarite Legliz Katolik Ozetazini ak frè ak sè ayisyen nou yo, kèlkeswa kote yo ye. Nou vire je nou sou Notre Dame du Secours Pèpétuel, Patronn Ayiti, pou entèsesyon li; ke li toujou yon sous fòs ak rekonfò pou pèp ayisyen an.”

View this release in Haitian Creole.

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