At least 40 Catholic Health Services employees in the Archdiocese of Miami could lose their jobs if Temporary Protected Status (TPS) protections for many Haitians expire after the July 27 federal deadline, underscoring the uncertainty facing thousands of South Florida families.
As the Miami Herald reported, the federal government cannot end deportation protections for Haitians before July 27, according to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in Washington, D.C. After the July 27 deadline, however, some Haitian TPS beneficiaries may be at risk of deportation and unemployment.
Unless another court order or federal action intervenes, employment authorization for many Haitian TPS beneficiaries is expected to expire after July 27, putting their ability to work legally at risk.
According to Vanessa Joseph, managing attorney at Catholic Legal Services, “potentially a lot of people [could] lose their status entirely. Other folks may be more susceptible to deportation. And finally, folks whose work permits expire will lose the benefit of being able to work.”
Joseph was interviewed by the WPLG Local 10 News team on July 24 at the Archdiocese of Miami’s Pastoral Center in Miami Shores. She urged beneficiaries to seek individualized legal advice, echoing her statement during a June 25 archdiocesan press conference: “I think it’s really important that people not operate on fear, not operate on rumors, but instead seek out legal advice that is direct and specific to their case because every single case is different, even if cases look the same.”
The Haitian TPS controversy continues after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on June 25 that the Department of Homeland Security could discontinue Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian and Syrian nationals, creating uncertainty and anxiety for many of the nearly 160,000 Haitian TPS beneficiaries living in Florida.
The Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision concluded that the Department of Homeland Security has broad authority to end TPS designations and that those decisions are generally not subject to judicial review. The ruling overturned lower court orders that had temporarily blocked the administration from ending protections while the case proceeded.
Although H.R. 1689 — a congressional bill that would extend Temporary Protected Status for eligible Haitians by three years — passed the House of Representatives in April, the legislation has stalled in the Senate.
Regarding the Catholic Health Services employees whose employment is at risk, Archbishop Thomas Wenski said in a July 24 statement, “These men and women are more than employees—they are members of our Church and our community. They care for the sick, comfort the elderly, and serve some of the most vulnerable among us with compassion and dedication.”
“Their uncertainty is our concern,” he said. “Catholic Health Services remains committed to supporting these valued employees throughout this process while ensuring full compliance with federal law.”
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