Revoking the legal status of hundreds of thousands of people residing in the United States “creates a moral crisis when returning to their country of origin is not a safe or reasonable option. If we truly want to affirm the dignity that God has given to every human person, as a nation we cannot turn a blind eye to such an injustice and the impossible choices it will entail for families and communities.” It is a passage from the statement by Bishop Brendan John Cahill, president of the Migration Commission of the US Bishops’ Conference, who spoke yesterday to comment on the sentence with which, on Thursday 25th, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Trump administration in its decision to put an end to the Temporary protected status (TPS) for Haiti and Syria. More specifically, the judges ruled that the government can immediately revoke the humanitarian protections of approximately 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians living legally in the United States, paving the way for their deportation.
TPS is a program created by Congress in 1990 to protect migrants from deportation when their home countries are too dangerous for them to return to. According to the Trump administration this would no longer apply to Haiti and Syria (it had already happened for Venezuela a few months ago). And the Supreme Court, with this ruling, effectively gives the immigration authorities unlimited powers to end the program, with the conservative majority believing that the courts have no right to intervene.
«Even if the Administration determines that temporary protected status is no longer justified – adds Monsignor Cahill – the deferral of forced expulsion remains a tool available to the President, and we urge him to exercise good judgment in this regard. Forcibly removing families in desperate conditions is a decision that all leaders should try to avoid. To this end, I and my fellow bishops continue to urge Congress to act, facing this moment with the moral fortitude that is needed.” The Bishops’ Committee on Migration recently encouraged bipartisan efforts by U.S. representatives to pass legislation that would compel the Secretary of Homeland Security to further extend Temporary Protected Status for Haiti. (Giovanni Zavatta)
