-The Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops has sent a letter to Florida lawmakers urging them to support legislation extending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian nationals residing in the United States until 2029.
The bishops, representing the state’s six dioceses, signed the letter, dated August 5, 2026 in which they urgently called on Senators Rick Scott and Ashley Moody, both Republicans from Florida, to pass Bill S. 4814. ‘This law will provide short-term security for our Haitian brothers and sisters, while also contributing to broader legislative reforms, including the possibility for long-time residents of our communities to regularize their status,’ they wrote, expressing also their ‘deep pastoral concern for the current state of our immigration system and the human realities it creates.
‘Many of these families find themselves without legal status or resources, while returning to their country of origin remains dangerous, impractical, and unreasonable given the situation there.’
They said that the ‘situation is especially daunting for hundreds of thousands of Haitians, Venezuelans, and others who have been relying on temporary protected status (TPS) to live and work lawfully in the United States.
‘So many of these families are left without any legal status or a way to support themselves, all while returning to their country of origin remains unsafe, impractical, and unreasonable because of the ongoing conditions there.’
The letter follows the earlier appeal by the Archbishop of Miami, Thomas Wenski, for compassionate immigration protection for Haitians with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) upon the expiration of their automatic work permit extensions on July 27.
After the TPS expiration, Archbishop Wenski traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with members of Congress and advocate for the approximately 353,000 Haitian nationals with TPS in the United States.
In June, the US Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration could move forward with stripping TPS from hundreds of thousands of Haitian and Syrian immigrants.
Democrats are urgently pushing the US Senate to pass legislation extending TPS bit their efforts have been blocked by Republicans, leaving hundreds of thousands vulnerable to deportation.
The U.S. House of Representatives advanced the bill that would extend temporary protected status (TPS) for Haiti through 2029 in April, and the measure has stalled in the Senate.
The bishops also called for broader immigration reform, citing Pope Leo XIV’s message on the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding in which he said ‘those who have arrived seeking freedom, opportunity, and a place to belong have helped to shape the nation’s character.
‘To receive them into the nation with compassion and generosity is not only an act of charity but also a recognition of the dignity that belongs to every human person.’
In their letter, the bishops said ‘we do not ask you to commit yourselves to immigration reform as a rejection of the national interest but as a means of promoting it.
‘Beyond even the positive economic and social contributions made by immigrants, including those in our own state of Florida, the considerations warranting meaningful improvements to our immigration system are profoundly moral in nature.
‘The Catholic Church remains committed to working with you and your colleagues in Congress to bring about bipartisan reforms of our immigration system. Please be assured of our prayers for you and your service to our nation in this 250th year of its independence,’ they wrote.