Archbishop Thomas Wenski Urges Compassionate Protections for Haitian TPS Employees

Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami warned that Catholic Health Services, one of the Archdiocese’s largest ministries, could lose 40 to 50 Haitian workers when their Temporary Protected Status (TPS) work permits expire. He called for “compassionate” immigration protections, noting that about 353,000 Haitian nationals currently hold TPS in the United States.

Wenski highlighted the ongoing violence, political instability, economic collapse and humanitarian suffering in Haiti, arguing that returning migrants would face unsafe conditions. The U.S. Supreme Court’s June 25 decision allowing the Department of Homeland Security to end TPS for Haitians and Syrians has accelerated the deadline, with employment authorizations set to expire on July 27. Although the House of Representatives passed legislation to extend Haitian TPS by three years, it remains stalled in the Senate. The archbishop emphasized the human dignity and family unity of the Haitian employees who provide essential care to the sick and elderly in South Florida.