MIAMI SHORES, Fla. \u2014 Archbishop of Miami Thomas Wenski, a long-time advocate of Haitian migrants, isn\u2019t giving up. <\/p>\n
While fluent in Haitian Creole, Wenski, 75, is among the leading voices urging the U.S. Senate to extend Temporary Protected Status for Haitians.<\/p>\n
With the expiration of TPS on Monday, more than 300,000 beneficiaries will be vulnerable to deportation and no longer have a work permit. <\/p>\n
\u201cMany of them are working in health care. In the Archdiocese of Miami, in our nursing homes, I have over 40 people on TPS that will lose their work permits today, and we will have to let them go,\u201d Wenski said about Catholic Health Services, one of Miami\u2019s largest ministries.<\/p>\n
Wenski said he was preparing for a flight on Monday before a meeting with lawmakers in Washington, D.C., to lobby for a solution for TPS beneficiaries. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe are looking for them to support a bill in the Senate that would embrace the House bill that was passed,\u201d Wenski said about H.R. 1689<\/a>.<\/p>\n U.S. Rep. Laura Gillen, a Democrat from New York, introduced the bill on Feb. 27 in the House, and it passed 224-204 on April 16.<\/p>\n \u201cThrough a discharge petition, that would give the Haitians a three-year extension on their TPS,\u201d Wenski said. <\/p>\n Related report: North Miami advocate on end of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians: \u2018Be prepared\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n Immigration policies should reflect both \u201cjustice and mercy,\u201d Wenski recently wrote in a statement<\/a> urging leaders to pursue \u201ccompassionate and humane solutions that protect family unity\u201d and \u201crecognize\u201d the crisis Haitians face. <\/p>\n \u201cPolicies should seek not only to enforce the law but also to reflect our nation\u2019s longstanding commitment to protecting human dignity and promoting the common good,\u201d Wenski wrote. \u201cTo make America Great again is a worthy goal but you don\u2019t make America great by making America mean.\u201d <\/p>\n Related social media<\/p>\n Temporary protected status is exactly that \u2014 TEMPORARY. <\/p>\n For those with terminated TPS: it\u2019s closing time. You don\u2019t have to go home, but you can\u2019t stay here.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not too late to get a $2,600 check and a FREE flight home: https:\/\/t.co\/YGo3uuNvrE<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/8kPIp6AvBd<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Homeland Security (@DHSgov) July 27, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Copyright 2026 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n