More Than 100 Evangelical Leaders Urge Congress to Protect Haitian Neighbors, Send Letter to Lawmakers

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Christians seek reprieve for the estimated 330,000 Haitians at risk of deportation to a country in crisis

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Contact: Lauren Rasmussen, media@wr.org, 802.310.4255

BALTIMORE, Md. – Today, prominent evangelical leaders, including national leaders of ten different denominations, various church network and ministry leaders and scores of local pastors, joined World Relief in petitioning their members of Congress to exercise their power as a co-equal branch of government to legislate a pathway for Haitians formerly relying on Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to remain lawfully in the U.S. Following the termination of TPS for Haitians by former Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and the recent Supreme Court ruling affirming the role of the executive branch to make TPS determinations, the onus lies with Congress to act. Without swift action, an estimated 330,000 Haitians will be imminently rendered unlawfully present and at risk of deportation to a country that has been in perpetual crisis for years.

In their letter sent to members of Congress today, evangelical pastors and leaders write:

“We appreciate that even though TPS was intended by Congress to be temporary, many Haitians have benefited from this protection for many years, some since it was first designated after an earthquake devastated the country in 2010.

“Tragically, however, it is simply not safe for these individuals to be returned to Haiti at this time. Humanitarian crisis has not been a temporary dynamic in Haiti, which over the past sixteen years has been hit repeatedly by natural disasters, disease outbreaks, gang-fueled violence and the assassination of its president and subsequent political upheaval. The U.S. State Department currently categorizes Haiti as in a “state of emergency” and instructs U.S. citizens not to travel to the country “due to the risk of crime, terrorism, kidnapping, unrest, and limited health care.” To send former TPS holders back would be devastating to them and further destabilizing to a society ill-equipped to integrate such a large number of returning members.”

The letter was signed by dozens of prominent evangelical pastors and denominational leaders, including

• Walter Kim, president, National Association of Evangelicals
• Dr. Jonathan Schaeffer, president, The Christian & Missionary Alliance
• Rev. Tammy Swanson-Draheim, president, Evangelical Covenant Church
• Carlton P. Harris, acting president, The Evangelical Free Church of America
• Commissioner Merle Heatwole, national commander, The Salvation Army
• Brian Sutton, North American general presbyter, Church of God of Prophecy
• Keith Cowart, bishop, Free Methodist Church USA
• Alan Robinson, national director, Brethren in Christ, U.S.
• Dan DeKam, U.S. director of ministry operations, Christian Reformed Church North America
• Bruno Molina, executive director, National Hispanic Baptist Network
• John K. Jenkins, Sr., pastor, First Baptist of Glenarden, MD
• James Merritt, Sr., pastor, Cross Pointe Church, Duluth, GA
• Doug Sauder, pastor, Calvary Chapel Ft. Lauderdale, FL
• Jeremy Hudson, senior pastor, Fellowship Church, Springfield, OH
• Eric Costanzo, senior pastor, South Tulsa Baptist Church, Tulsa, OK
• Jesse Rincones, executive director, Convencion Bautista Hispana de Texas
• Dr. Keny Felix, senior pastor of Bethel Evangelical Baptist Church in Miami, FL,  and president of the Southern Baptist Convention National Haitian Fellowship
• Woodler Alezy, Haitian Association of the Christian & Missionary Alliance
• Carol Bremer-Bennett, executive director, World Renew
• Justin Giboney, president, AND Campaign
• Patrick Mahoney, director, Christian Defense Coalition
• Alexei Laushkin, founder, Kingdom Mission Society
• Latasha Morrison, founder & CEO, Be the Bridge
• Raymond Chang, president, Asian American Christian Collaborative
• Gabriel Salguero, president, National Latino Evangelical Coalition
• Troy Jackson, CEO, UNDIVIDED
• Bri Stensrud, director, Women of Welcome

The letter notes a particular concern for the potential for family separation as a result of this policy, noting that an estimated 50,000 U.S. citizen minor children could have one or both of their parents deported as a result of this policy shift, unless Congress acts. The letter notes: “While the U.S. Department of Homeland Security insists that these parents must return to Haiti, the U.S. State Department insists that their U.S. citizen children should not go to Haiti. But who will care for these children left behind?”

“Our Haitian brothers and sisters have become essential parts of our communities, economies and churches,” commented Myal Greene, president and CEO of World Relief, which organized the letter and partners with local churches in both Haiti and in various parts of the United States to serve Haitians. “Not only would it be devastating to the Haitian infrastructure to try to receive such a large number of returnees all at once, but it would rip apart the fabric of so many U.S. communities that rely on the presence of Haitian neighbors, workers and fellow-church members. Sending them back goes against who we are as Americans and as Christians.”

Due to the nature of the protracted crises in Haiti, TPS’s extensions have meant that many families have continued on with their lives in the places they settled in the U.S., raising families and becoming integral members of their communities. In particular, the Haitian community has become essential to healthcare, hospitality, logistics and many other sectors.

“While we respect the authority of the Supreme Court, we are disappointed and alarmed by this decision and its potential impact,” commented Dr. Keny Felix, senior pastor of Bethel Evangelical Baptist Church in Miami, FL, and president of the Southern Baptist Convention National Haitian Fellowship. “Repatriating or deporting TPS holders will split mixed-status families, leaving millions of children, who are U.S. citizens, without parents to directly care for them. Individuals returned to Haiti will face rampant gang violence, kidnappings, political instability, food insecurity, and an ongoing humanitarian crisis where 1.47 million residents (12-13% of the population) are internally displaced. This is not solely a Haitian issue. It’s about our collective responsibility to protect vulnerable families and communities. This is more than an immigration issue. It’s a human life issue.”

“Christians believe that nations as well as individuals are responsible for doing what is good and right (James 4:17; Jeremiah 22:3),” commented Walter Kim, president of the National Association of Evangelicals. “As a nation, we can take pride in offering refuge to our Haitian neighbors fleeing from danger and violence. In turn, Haitians immigrants have contributed significantly to our communities by working hard, contributing to our prosperity and caring for our sick and elderly. This is not the time to abruptly uproot families from their communities, or to separate parents from their U.S. citizen children and send them into harm’s way. Faithfulness to our values calls us to protect vulnerable families, even as we seek solutions for the just flourishing of our nation.”

Carol Bremer-Bennett, executive director of World Renew, said, “Based on our direct work with Haitian communities, we know that forcing up to 300,000 deportees into a country where over six million people already require emergency aid would be catastrophic. As a faith-rooted organization, we believe extending TPS is the only just, compassionate, and practical way to protect these families who now call the United States home.”

“As a Haitian-born U.S. citizen pastoring a church made up of many Haitians, my heart breaks for my congregation. The circumstances in Haiti are dire, and it would be a disaster if they are forced to return. I urge members of Congress to take swift, decisive action to create a path for them to stay and remain legal in the eyes of the law,” commented Mardochée Pardieu, associate pastor, Good Samaritan Haitian Alliance, Lawrenceville, GA.

Many local pastors signed the letter as well, particularly from those from the states with the largest populations of Haitians poised to lose TPS, including Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Georgia and Indiana.

“Our community has been blessed by our Haitian neighbors,” commented Kirk Schneemann, lead pastor, College First Church of God, Findlay, OH. “Local businesses have praised their work ethic. Their passionate faith has enriched our churches. They are good neighbors and I hope and pray they can remain in our state.”

‘“Our Haitian neighbors are integral to our community and churches,” commented Rev. Steve Harper, Grace Church, part of the Christian & Missionary Alliance, Middleburg Heights, OH. “We grieve the recent decisions that have thrown our neighbors into acute instability, forcing families to face the awful potential of separation from U.S. citizen children, and urge our lawmakers to quickly create a path for them to stay.”

“We are devastated for our Haitian brothers and sisters whose lives are now thrown into chaos and uncertainty,” commented Rev. Dr. Randy Carter, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina, Hillsboro, NC. “While Temporary Protected Status is certainly intended to create relief for a season, it is unjust to remove it when Haiti remains in crisis. We grieve this broken promise and urge lawmakers to create a pathway forward that does not require our Haitian neighbors to return to a humanitarian disaster.”

World Relief is encouraging Christians who wish to advocate on behalf of their Haitian neighbors to reach out to their members of Congress by phone. To access resources to advocate, visit worldrelief.org/advocate.

Click here to read the full letter.