A Word from Pastor DJ
Dear Friends,
Haitians who have come legally into the United States since 2010 are given Temporary Protection Status (TPS) that enables them to apply for an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) to become employed, productive persons in our society. The EAD is renewed every 1 or 2 years if the person still has TPS and no criminal record. Doing this lets the family live safely and normally on a day-to-day basis. Something each of us enjoys. There are members of Church of the Holy Spirit who know an extended Haitian family living in this situation.
Temporary Protection Status has no pathway to permanent citizenship. The first step to citizenship is receiving a Green Card through options such as claiming asylum, being legally related to a U.S. citizen, married to a U.S. citizen, or having unique specialized skills that a person’s employer sponsors them.
In April 2026, the U.S. State Department still considers the crime, terrorism, civil unrest, health risks, and kidnapping in Haiti to be at the highest unsafe level that it advises Americans not to travel to this country. (See https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/haiti-travel-advisory.html)
The Supreme Court ruled that the Federal Administration can cancel TPS status overturning a lower court. This means many families’ lives can be immediately thrown into chaos. The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed bipartisan bill HR1689 to extend TPS for Haitians until 2029. This bill has been sent to the U.S. Senate as S.4814. It has been read twice and referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
If we would like to support Haitians who are productive persons in our society, especially the family we know, we can call our Senators, Dave McCormick and John Fetterman, asking them to support bill S.4814. This link provides their contact information in Washington D.C.: https://www.senate.gov/states/PA/intro.htm.
Thanks, and Blessings, DJ+
Click the button to schedule an appointment with me online without contacting me. This link can also be found by going to the bottom of any page at our website, clicking on “Directory”, entering the password, and then clicking on the left button to schedule a meeting with me. The link is in the membership section of the website so only parishioners of Church of the Holy Spirit can use this method. It is preferable for people not connected with the Church to schedule through the church office.
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