WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the Supreme Court issued a decision in Mullin v. Doe (consolidated with Trump v. Miot), in a ruling that may have the effect of allowing the Trump administration to strip more than 350,000 people from Haiti and Syria of their Temporary Protected Status, or TPS. Following are quotes from faith leaders who are members of the Interfaith Immigration Coalition (IIC).
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Mary Katherine Morn, President and Lead Executive Officer, Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
“In the face of a voluminous factual record showing that this administration’s TPS decisions have been arbitrary, cruel, and discriminatory, the Supreme Court nonetheless chose to greenlight this administration’s campaign to strip immigrant families of their legal status. The words and actions of this government send the message every day that they view nonwhite immigrants as less human, and unworthy of the most basic dignity and rights. Our religious and ethical traditions and the best of our country’s aspirations say the opposite. We believe no human being is disposable. No one deserves to be ripped from their communities and deported to countries facing humanitarian crises. Congress must enact a permanent solution for TPS holders now.”
Giovana Oaxaca, Senior Government Relations Manager at NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice
“To say this decision is crushing is an understatement. The administration has yet to answer how it will safeguard and protect the life and dignity of Haitian immigrants who cannot — and will not — survive being forced to return to Haiti. For Haitians and Syrians who have built lives and flourished in U.S. cities, the loss of their homeland and now the potential loss of their newest home is shattering. Too often, displacement and exile have been the reality for people impacted by U.S. foreign policy. We must have the courage to pass legislation that compassionately extends their stay and recommit to peace and development around the world.”
Pablo DeJesús, Executive Director, Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice
“With these decisions, the Roberts Court has stepped away from welcome in cruel ways. It stripped legal protections for people from Haiti and Syria who bravely built their lives here, placing hundreds of thousands in renewed jeopardy. The Supreme Court simultaneously endorsed turning away asylum seekers fleeing danger, showcasing a profound indifference to suffering. These two rulings conflict with our faith tradition, our teachings to welcome the stranger and offer assistance to those in need. We once again commit to transforming our body politic toward mercy, compassion, and inclusion. This is a terrible outcome, but we shall overcome. We will pursue the necessary legislative remedies. We know the fight for migration justice is part of our struggle for universal human dignity and right relations, and thus justice for all.”
Rev. Kendal L. McBroom, Director of Civil and Human Rights, UMC General Board of Church and Society
“The recent decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court allowing the denial of asylum protections before individuals can reach safety, and permitting the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for millions of people, are deeply troubling and represent a profound departure from our nation’s highest ideals. The United Methodist Social Principles affirm that every migrant, refugee, and asylum seeker bears the image of God and possesses inherent dignity and worth, regardless of country of origin or legal status. These rulings abandon families fleeing violence, persecution, and humanitarian crises, placing countless lives at greater risk. A court entrusted with safeguarding justice should not become an instrument for diminishing the rights and protections of the most vulnerable. At a moment when compassion, due process, and human dignity are needed most, these decisions weaken our nation’s moral witness and undermine the longstanding commitment to offer refuge to those seeking safety. We call upon our elected leaders to pursue policies that reflect justice, mercy, and the sacred worth of every human being, ensuring that our immigration system embodies both the rule of law and the moral courage to protect those in need.”
Christopher Kerr, Executive Director, Ignatian Solidarity Network
“We are deeply grieved by today’s decision, which strips vital humanitarian protections from our migrant neighbors and leaves families in a dangerous place. This ruling separates families and uproots students in our schools, leaders in our parishes, and friends in our communities. Catholic teaching reminds us that every person has a right to life and the conditions necessary for human flourishing. To force individuals back to nations gripped by violence and instability is a moral failure of our obligation to our neighbors. In the Ignatian tradition, we are called to look at our world through the lens of the vulnerable and to see God in the margins. In this moment of heartbreak, the Ignatian Solidarity Network recommits to walking with affected youth, amplifying their voices, and fiercely advocating for solutions that offer the safety and security they deserve.”
Fran Eskin-Royer, Executive Director, National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
“We are shocked and saddened by the Supreme Court’s decision to allow the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for over 350,000 Haitians and 6,100 Syrians. The Court’s 6-3 ruling closes the door to judicial review, ignoring newly disclosed documents and dismissing evidence that the administration bypassed mandatory agency consultations. These vulnerable women, men, and children are facing deportation to countries where the U.S. State Department warns citizens not to travel due to severe violence and instability.
“This decision puts their safety at terrible risk — and now puts at risk the thousands of TPS holders from other countries currently living in the U.S. as well. We welcomed these families when they fled destruction from natural disasters and violence, and they have deeply contributed to the economy, strength, and goodness of our communities. This decision goes against our core Good Shepherd values of human dignity, compassion, and reconciliation. Honoring the worth of every person, especially when they are in need, remains central to our faith and humanity.”
Rev. Michael Neuroth, Director, the United Church of Christ Office of Public Policy and Advocacy
“Today’s 6-3 decision from the Supreme Court supporting the Trump administration’s baseless cancellation of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians and Syrians is a devastating continuation of this administration’s campaign to strip humanitarian protocols from immigration policy and from the identity of the United States itself. TPS, designed to offer refuge for those whose homelands are too dangerous to return to, has been a nationwide assurance that the U.S. is a nation of safety and promise. The United Church of Christ affirms those same principles of hospitality as reflected in Christ’s call to love and care for one another, especially for those considered strangers.
Today we grieve that we must continue our hospitality without the critical infrastructure of the TPS program for Haitians, Syrians, and thousands of others in the U.S. whose TPS has also been canceled by this administration without cause. However, we don’t continue our welcome alone. Immigrant leaders, community members, and grassroots organizers across the country continue to accompany their neighbors, and that care cannot be stripped away by a court decision. The UCC will carry on our advocacy for legislative efforts to safeguard secure pathways of migration for those who flee war, persecution, and disaster. We call on Congress to act with courage to restore the U.S. tradition of hospitality. We will persist in our claim that Love Knows No Borders.”
Corinne Paul, Senior Policy Advisor, American Jewish World Service
“American Jewish World Service (AJWS) condemns the Supreme Court’s decision to allow the termination of TPS for hundreds of thousands of migrants from Haiti and Syria, upending the lives of countless families who have built their futures in this country. For decades, TPS has been an important avenue for those seeking refuge from severe instability, violence, and humanitarian crises. While the court’s decision allows the administration to move forward with ending these protections, nothing should diminish the moral imperative to treat all people with dignity, respect, and compassion. ”
Rev. Noel Andersen, National Field Director for Church World Service and Co-Chair of the Interfaith Immigration Coalition
“The Supreme Court’s decision allowing the Trump administration to strip our Haitian and Syrian neighbors with TPS of their legal status is a moral failure. This ruling will deprive hundreds of thousands of immigrant community members of their ability to live and work legally in the United States, and subject them to possible detention and deportation. TPS was designed as a humanitarian program that protects people from harm. It has long been a lifeline for people fleeing dangerous conditions in their home country. In the wake of today’s ruling, hundreds of thousands of Haitian and Syrian TPS holders who are our neighbors may now be subjected to the Trump administration’s lawless deportation machine. Those who are removed could face dangerous, even fatal consequences. It is extraordinary to see this ruling in the face of strong evidence of the administration’s racial animus and blatant bypassing of legal requirements.”
Rev. Amy Reumann, Senior Director, Witness in Society for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
“As the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), we are guided by the Scriptures to ‘welcome one another just as Christ has welcomed you, to the glory of God’ (Romans 15:7), and have long supported our nation’s policies that provide entry and welcome to immigrants and refugees. The decision to cancel Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for approximately 350,000 people from Haiti and Syria will send people to countries that continue to face significant levels of violence and instability. The termination of this legal status will separate families, divide faith communities, and return people to hunger, danger, and even death. We must find pathways for protection for these neighbors who have come to call this country home.”
Troy Collazo, Policy Advisor, The Episcopal Church
“We regret the Supreme Court ruling in Mullin v. Doe, which cleared the way for the administration to terminate Temporary Protected Status for many Haitians and Syrians who have been able to live and work legally in the United States during a time of great instability in their home countries, and will have their protections revoked due to this administration’s policies. This means that families who have built their lives, raised children, worshiped, worked, and contributed to their communities in the United States may now face the loss of work authorization and protection from deportation, and may need to return to countries still marked by violence, instability, or humanitarian crisis.
“We recognize that the full consequences of these rulings are still uncertain and will depend on how the administration implements them, how agencies exercise discretion, and whether further legal challenges or congressional action follow. The Episcopal Church will continue in our mission to support immigrants and asylum seekers in all of our ministries. We will advocate for laws and policies that center welcome, protection from harm, and integration. The Episcopal Church is a home to immigrants, and Episcopalians across the country and around the world continue to minister to and walk alongside migrants in need. We will continue to uphold the dignity of refugees and migrants following the biblical call to welcome the stranger.”
Maria Mitri, Migration Policy and Administrative Associate, Friends Committee on National Legislation.
“Temporary Protected Status (TPS) has been a lifeline for our migrant neighbors, allowing them to work in the United States and maintain lawful presence without fear of deportation to unsafe conditions in their home countries. Today, the Supreme Court allowed the termination of these protections for hundreds of thousands of our Haitian and Syrian neighbors, forcing them to return to countries that Trump’s own State Department classifies as too unsafe for travel, and foreshadowing what may come for other TPS beneficiaries. This decision is an inhumane betrayal of TPS holders who have built their lives in this country, enriched our communities, and bolstered our economy. The Trump administration is continuing to expand military interventions across Latin America and the Middle East while narrowing lawful pathways for those fleeing the destabilizing impacts of decades of American interventionism. The United States has a moral responsibility to right these wrongs by maintaining and strengthening protections for people who cannot safely return to countries destabilized by violence, persecution, and instability, particularly when our own policies have helped create the conditions they face. We must reject fear-based approaches to immigration and instead build a just and humane immigration system instead.”
Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism
“We are devastated by the Supreme Court’s decision allowing the Trump administration to proceed with efforts to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for hundreds of thousands of Haitian and Syrian nationals. Haitian and Syrian TPS holders have built lives, families, and communities in the United States while contributing to our economy and communities. Returning people to countries facing ongoing instability, violence, and humanitarian crises undermines our nation’s commitment to human dignity and protection for the vulnerable. We urge Congress to swiftly pass legislation to restore TPS protections and legal status for these communities.”
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