Faith and health leaders issue warning as end of TPS for Haitians approaches

South Florida faith and health leaders issued a warning Tuesday as a key immigration protection for Haitians is set to expire, saying that ending Temporary Protected Status could devastate families, healthcare and the local economy.

A news conference was held in Miami Shores, where Archdiocese of Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski was joined by Catholic Health Services, Catholic Legal Services, the American Business Immigration Coalition Action, and several other groups as they asked the Trump administration to keep TPS protections for Haiti.

“Immigrants are not a problem to be solved. There are people to be helped,” said Randy McGroorty, the director of Catholic Legal Services.

With TPS set to expire Feb. 3, leaders from the Archdiocese of Miami, Catholic Legal Services and Catholic Health Services say hundreds of thousands of Haitian workers could lose the legal right to live and work in the U.S.

“I hope that TPS is renewed for all people, not only the Haitian people,” said Father Feliere Louis, a priest in Key West. “We have people from Nicaragua, Venezuela, so something happens for all people.”

In Tuesday’s meeting, they argued these workers are deeply embedded in South Florida’s workforce — especially in healthcare, elder care, and essential services — and are lawfully employed under federal protections.

“They are working legally, they have documents. They are not violating any laws. They’re not the worst stores by any stretch of anybody’s imagination,” Wenski said.

They not only stressed that this would be inhumane, but it would be a big hit to the economy as more than 44 people within the catholic health facilities will be affected.

“Most of our essential caregiving roles are filled by our Haitian community, nurses, nursing assistance home health aides, long-term care workers, even down to our cemeterie,” said Dr. Brian Kriedrowski of Catholic Health Service.

Speakers say Haiti remains plagued by violence and political instability, with no functioning government to absorb large-scale returns.

“We should not force Haitians into a crisis in Haiti or create a crisis here, forcing them out of their jobs,” Wenski said. “They’re not violating the laws, they’re documented.”

The decision to end TPS for Haitians was announced last year.

“Coming back to Haiti now is very hard, I can say. We know that country is bad now,” Louis said.

In that news release, the Department of Homeland Security said Secretary Kristi Noem had “concluded that Haiti no longer meets the statutory requirements for TPS.”

“This decision was based on a review conducted by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, input from relevant U.S. government agencies, and an analysis indicating that allowing Haitian nationals to remain temporarily in the United States is inconsistent with U.S. national interests,” the release read in part. “If you are an alien who is currently a beneficiary of TPS for Haiti, you should prepare to depart if you have no other lawful basis for remaining in the United States.”

The entire archdiocese of Miami is calling on the Trump administration to act with compassion by maintaining TPS protections for Haiti, ensuring they don’t disrupt Florida’s workforce and economy, and keeping stability for hundreds of thousands living in Florida.

Nationwide, there are nearly 350,000 people who currently depend on TPS to legally live and work here.