Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski urges protections for Haitians

Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami is calling for compassionate immigration protections for Haitian nationals following the expiration of automatic work permit extensions. Wenski stated that Haiti remains unsafe for migrants to return to due to ongoing political instability, economic collapse, widespread violence, and humanitarian suffering.

The expiration of employment authorization documents on July 27 affects approximately 353,000 Haitian nationals holding temporary protected status (TPS) in the United States. Catholic Health Services, a major ministry of the Archdiocese of Miami, is currently evaluating how recent federal changes to TPS work authorizations will impact its significant number of Haitian employees.

Local ministries within the archdiocese are preparing for the consequences of these policy changes. While the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation in April to extend TPS for Haitian nationals by three years, the measure has stalled in the Senate. This follows a June 25 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allowed the Department of Homeland Security to end TPS for Haitians and Syrians.