The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Committee on Migration is pleading with President Donald Trump to allow Haitian and Syrian migrants to remain in the United States following a Supreme Court ruling that paved the way for possible deportations.
Bishop Brendan J. Cahill, who chairs the committee, asked Trump to refrain from deporting the migrants and for Congress to take action that would allow them to remain.
“Revoking the legal status of hundreds of thousands of people residing in our country creates a moral crisis when returning to their country of origin is not a safe or reasonable option,” Cahill said in a statement.
“If we are truly to affirm the God-given dignity of every human person, we as a nation cannot turn a blind eye to such an injustice and the impossible choices it will create for families and communities,” he said.
The Supreme Court on June 25 ruled in favor of the Department of Homeland Security ending the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) of Haitian and Syrian migrants, finding the law provides the executive branch with broad discretion in making those determinations.
Without TPS status, more than 300,000 Haitians and more than 6,000 Syrians have lost legal protections that prevent them from being deported.
“Even if the administration determines TPS is no longer warranted, deferred enforced departure remains a tool available to the president, and we urge him to exercise right judgement in this way,” Cahill said.
“Forcibly sending families to dire conditions is a legacy all leaders should seek to avoid,” the bishop said. “To that end, my brother bishops and I also continue to call upon Congress to act — to meet this moment with the moral fortitude that is so desperately needed.”