Guest Commentary by Marge Vance • Posted July 23, 2026

As a Catholic and concerned citizen, I am very pleased to see the action taken by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in urging us to call on the U.S. Senate to protect our Haitian neighbors.

Unfortunately, a recent Supreme Court decision has paved the way for the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for hundreds of thousands of vulnerable Haitians.

In a statement from the USCCB’s Committee on Migration, Bishop Brendan Cahill, chairman of the committee, described the reality now facing Haitians who have been relying on TPS as a “moral crisis” and underscored “we as a nation cannot turn a blind eye to such an injustice and the impossible choices it will create for families and communities.”

Our Haitian sisters and brothers are here legally. They work, pay taxes, and are an integral part of the economic and social fabric of their communities. According to a separate USCCB statement, “as of June 2026, over 300,000 Haitians in the United States were relying on TPS.”

There is no way these people can safely return to Haiti, a country which is being ravaged by political unrest, widespread violence, and extreme poverty.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bipartisan bill that would require the Secretary of Homeland Security to extend Haiti’s TPS designations to 2029 (H.R. 1689).

The U.S. bishops are asking us to contact our senators and urge them to support passage of Senate Bill 4814 which will also allow the extension of TPS to 2029.

The offices of Senators John Fetterman and Dave McCormick can by reached by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.

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Marge Vance serves as the Chapter Leader for the Catholic Relief Services Philadelphia-area chapter.