Christian World | Two US Catholic bishops urged senators to extend temporary protected status for Haitians, calling forced returns to Haiti now "unacceptable and untenable"

ACW | November 12, 2026 — The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has urged the Senate to pass a bill extending temporary protected status for Haitians, saying it would be "unacceptable and untenable" to deport hundreds of thousands of them now.

The letter, dated Nov. 10 and sent to senators, was signed by Bishop-designate Brendan Cahill of Joliet, who chairs the bishops' migration committee, and Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, chair of the committee on international justice and peace.

"There is simply no realistic opportunity for the safe and orderly return of people to Haiti at this time," the bishops wrote. They asked senators to work with Senate leaders to pass S. 4814.

The bishops said they were deeply troubled by deportation flights that have left for Haiti every week since August. They cited a recent massacre in which 47 people were killed and dozens more kidnapped, including children, an attack Pope Leo XIV called a "grave massacre."

Clergy and religious in Haiti have been killed and kidnapped, churches and convents destroyed and bishops threatened, the letter said. The House of Representatives passed a similar bill, H.R. 1689, with support from both parties in April.

The U.S. administration has not responded to the letter.

Background: Temporary protected status for Haiti ended on July 27 after a Supreme Court decision allowed the termination to take effect, EWTN News reported. S. 4814 would extend it through April 20, 2029, and cover more than 330,000 Haitians, according to EWTN News. ACW earlier reported that US lawmakers are pushing a vote to shield Afghans from deportation.

Why it matters: The bishops called for a U.S. approach to Haiti that recognizes Haitians' right to live in peace and safety. Quoting a Haitian bishop, they described the Church in Haiti, itself targeted by killings and kidnappings, as the country's "last remaining bulkhead—moral, ethical, spiritual, and prophetic."

ACW will continue to follow this story.

Sources: U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops — Letter to senators on S. 4814 and related matters (Nov. 10, 2026); EWTN News — U.S. bishops urge Senate to protect Haitians from deportation

Photo: Bishop Brendan Cahill, chair of the US bishops' migration committee (official portrait, Diocese of Joliet)