Ohio Catholic bishops slam Trump's attempt to end TPS for Haitians

Ohio’s Catholic bishops described the potential end of temporary protected status for Haitians in Ohio as a “moral and social failure unfolding before our eyes.”

In a statement issued June 22 ahead of the country’s 250^th anniversary and the soon-expected ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court on the future of many Haitian immigrants, the Catholic Conference of Ohio wrote that the current conditions in Haiti are unsafe for people to return.

“As many parts of their home country suffer from incessant violence and utter despair, those in Ohio and elsewhere in the U.S. may be forced to abandon familial stability, jobs, and community due to policy decisions,” the statement says. “We find no moral justification for terminating their Temporary Protected Status (TPS) without an alternative way to adjust their immigration status.”

People from Haiti have had TPS since a devastating earthquake in 2010. The status has been extended multiple times amid social and political turmoil.

TPS means that immigrants from designated countries can get permission to work in and protection from deportation from the United States as long as the status is active, according to the American Immigration Council.

There are approximately 350,000 Haitians in the United States. About 20,000 live in Springfield and 30,000 live in the Columbus area.

The Trump administration attempted to end TPS for Haitians on Feb. 3, but courts have overturned that ruling. The Department of Homeland Security has previously said that the TPS system has been “exploited and abused” for decades and that conditions in Haiti are safe to return, though the State Department continues to warn Americans against traveling there.

Vice President J.D. Vance, who converted to Catholicism as an adult, previously said in 2024 that Haitian immigrants are “illegal aliens” who should be deported. During the 2024 presidential campaign, Vance and Trump spread false rumors that Haitians in Springfield were eating their neighbors' pets even as state and local authorities refuted those claims.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, also a practicing Catholic, has advocated for aid to Haitians for years and criticized Trump’s plan for ending TPS in February.

The Catholic bishops said that the country has a right to regulate borders and that immigrants who commit violent crimes “or disturb the public order” should not expect to stay in the U.S. However, the country should establish an “orderly immigration process” with predictability and due process, and space for people fleeing violence or intense economic hardship.

“A confident nation, one that has grown over 250 years into a desirable place to live, should seek to integrate those who strive to work and raise their families in peace,” the bishops wrote. “Like so many of you, we yearn for political leadership that can deliberate effectively without the partisan rancor that so often seems to take precedence over legislation for the common good.”

Anna Lynn Winfrey covers regional/suburban trending news for The Columbus Dispatch. She can be reached at[email protected].