Catholic groups urge US government to extend Temporary Protected Status for Haiti

Catholic groups in the United States are urging the American government to extend Temporary Protected Status for Haiti, allowing migrants from the island nation to remain in the U.S. and continue to work there while it is deemed unsafe for them to return home.

On November 17, 2017, Bishop Joe S. Vásquez of Austin, Texas, Chairman of the USCCB Committee on Migration, was joined by Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC), Catholic Relief Services (CRS), and Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) in sending a letter to Acting Secretary of Homeland Security, Elaine Duke, urging an 18-month extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti.

TPS is a temporary, renewable, and statutorily authorized immigration status that allows individuals to remain and work lawfully in the U.S. during a period in which it is deemed unsafe for nationals of that country to return home.

While the current designation for Haiti is set to expire in January 2018, the Department of Homeland Security is required to make a decision to terminate or extend TPS for Haiti by November 23, 2017. As noted by the partners: "[I]t would be premature and detrimental to the country's redevelopment to return TPS holders to Haiti." The letter, sharing insights from the recent USCCB/Migration and Refugee Services (MRS) delegation trip to Haiti, explained that the country is still recovering from the 2010 earthquake and subsequent natural disasters and is not currently in a position to adequately handle return of its nationals who have TPS.

As discussed in the USCCB/MRS trip report, Haiti's Ongoing Road to Recovery: The Necessity of an Extension of Temporary Protected Status, an extension of TPS for the nation is crucial for humanitarian, regional security, and economic stability reasons. Consequently, the Catholic partners urged Secretary Duke to extend TPS for Haiti to "allow the country to build upon the progress it has made towards recovery and help ensure individuals' return and reintegration can be safely accomplished."

The letter also reiterated the Church's commitment to standing "ready to support measures to help ensure TPS recipients and their families are provided the protection and support they need while Haiti rebuilds." (USCCB)

Read the full letter at the US Bishops' website.

Thank you for reading our article. You can keep up-to-date by subscribing to our daily newsletter. Just click here