General
Letter to the U.S. Senate on S. 4814 and Related Matters (November 10, 2026)
November 10, 2026
Dear Senator:
We write as chairmen of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Migration and Committee on International Justice and Peace to renew our call for Congress to respond to the crisis facing our Haitian brothers and sisters in a manner befitting our nation’s moral responsibility. We urge you to work with Senate leadership toward the passage of S. 4814, requiring extension of Haiti’s temporary protected status (TPS) designation. The House already passed this important legislation on a bipartisan basis in April (H.R.1689). We also continue to call for an approach to the country of Haiti by the U.S. government that promotes integral human development for the Haitian people and recognizes their fundamental right to live in peace and safety. Finally, we reiterate the need for all of Congress to work in a bipartisan manner, together with the Administration, to pursue broader reforms that provide expanded opportunities for longtime residents of American communities, such as Haitians and others with TPS, to achieve a more durable legal status, something President Trump expressed openness to in the last few days.[1]
While appealing directly to the President in September, Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the USCCB, referenced one of the recent and brazen acts of violence that have become all too commonplace in Haiti, which resulted in the death of 47 people and dozens more being kidnapped, including children.[2] This “grave massacre”, as Pope Leo XIV described it,[3] the lack of any justice in its wake, and its existence as one of many such tragedies in recent months, help to demonstrate why it is unacceptable and untenable to forcibly repatriate hundreds of thousands of Haitians at this time. This conclusion is bolstered by the absence of an orderly reception system and the lack of coordination needed to safely receive large numbers of repatriated families. The killing of several Salvadoran soldiers in October and the escalations that have followed now threaten to transform the country into a warzone. Under these circumstances, we are deeply troubled by the deportation flights that have been departing for Haiti on a weekly basis since August.
We especially wish to elevate the voices of our brother bishops in Haiti, who shepherd a local Church that has witnessed “the breakdown of society and the decay of the institutions that support it.”[4] As one Haitian bishop recently stated, the Church stands as the country’s “last remaining bulkhead—moral, ethical, spiritual, and prophetic.”[5] And for that reason, the Haitian Church now finds herself the target of gang violence seeking to extinguish the hope, comfort, and support she offers the Haitian people. Clergy and religious have been killed and kidnapped, churches and convents have been destroyed, and bishops themselves have been the victims of threats and attacks.
Congress specifically created TPS to extend humanitarian relief to those who are already present in our country and face extraordinary conditions such as these if returned to their homeland. As we stated in January, there is simply no realistic opportunity for the safe and orderly return of people to Haiti at this time.[6] The temporary nature of TPS does not absolve our nation of its moral responsibility, nor does it nullify the sanctity of those lives involved. Meanwhile, leaving so many Haitian families in the United States without legal status and the ability to work lawfully creates extreme hardship for both them and the communities in which they live. Indifference toward these realities undermines human dignity and the common good.
As we have also said previously, the extension of TPS through S. 4814 would in no way prevent immigration and law enforcement officials from addressing those who pose genuine threats to public safety and security. We affirm this as a legitimate responsibility of the government.
We pray that, in its remaining weeks, the current Congress, along with the incoming 120th Congress, will devote more attention to the situation facing both Haitian families in the United States, especially those who have recently been stripped of their legal protections, and the human tragedies unfolding in Haiti itself. This includes through the annual appropriations process and in the provision of lifesaving and life-affirming international assistance.[7]
As should be the case in all its relations with states, our nation’s influence in the Western Hemisphere should be guided by human fraternity and solidarity with those in need. In the case of Haiti, which sits fewer than 1,000 miles off the Florida coast, this is not simply a matter of moral duty. It is also in the country’s national interest, as so many business, foreign policy, and community leaders across the political spectrum have affirmed in recent months.
We stand ready to work with you, your colleagues, and the Administration to develop just responses to the plight of our Haitian brothers and sisters. May Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Patroness of Haiti, intercede for you and all those working to promote the common good.
Respectfully,
Most Reverend Brendan J. Cahill
Bishop-designate of Joliet
Chairman, Committee on Migration
Most Reverend A. Elias Zaidan
Bishop of the Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon
Chairman, Committee on International Justice and Peace
[1] Joe Walsh, Trump Says His Deportation Policy Might Have Been “Too Tough” in 60 Minutes Interview, CBS News (Nov. 8, 2026), https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-says-some-of-his-immigration-policies-may-have-been-too-tough-60-minutes/.
[2] Letter from Archbishop Paul S. Coakley to President Donald J. Trump (Sept. 28, 2026), https://www.usccb.org/
resources/Letter%20to%20President%20Donald%20J.%20Trump%20Regarding%20Haitians.pdf.
[3] Deborah Castellano Lubov, Pope Leo Urges Release of Haiti Hostages, Aid for Nepal After Deadly Floods, Vatican News (Aug. 30, 2026), https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2026-08/pope-leo-xiv-appeal-sunday-30-aug-2026-castel-gandolfo-angelus.html.
[4] Devin Watkins, Holy See ‘Supports Efforts to Restore Peace in Haiti’, Vatican News (Aug. 21, 2025), https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2025-08/holy-see-haiti-crisis-peace-organization-american-states.html.
[5] Tessa Gervasini, Haiti Bishop Says Gangs Target Church as Violence Shuts Parishes, Schools, EWTN News (Aug. 12, 2026), https://www.ewtnnews.com/world/us/haiti-bishop-says-gangs-target-church-as-violence-shuts-parishes-schools.
[6] Press Release, USCCB, Bishop Chairmen Call on Administration to Extend Protections for Haitians in the United States (Jan. 29, 2026), https://www.usccb.org/news/2026/bishop-chairmen-call-administration-extend-protections-haitians-united-states.
[7] USCCB-CRS Letter to Congress on International Assistance Funding for Fiscal Year 2027 (Apr. 23, 2026), https://www.usccb.org/resources/usccb-crs-letter-congress-international-assistance-funding-fiscal-year-2027-april-23-2026.