Supreme Court decision on TPS for Haitians and Syrians will affect hundreds of Church of the Brethren members

The Supreme Court on Thursday, June 25, 2026, issued a decision undermining the humanitarian protection afforded to individuals from Haiti and Syria with Temporary Protected Status (TPS). Justices Kagan, Sotomayor, and Jackson-Brown dissented from the 6-3 decision in the case “Mullin v. Doe.”

People with TPS have been living in the US legally and were protected from deportation. The decision allows the administration to strip that temporary protected status and makes TPS holders vulnerable to deportation.

“We can estimate that almost 300 Brethren would be affected, not counting their households,” said Founa Augustin Badet, director of Intercultural Ministries for the Church of the Brethren. Seven Church of the Brethren congregations in Florida will be significantly affected, she said.

“One pastor shared with me yesterday that some of his members who have been in the United States for years have been on Temporary Protected Status, and some may not qualify for other legal status.”

The decision will affect 350,000 Haitians in total across the country, said Badet, “some of whom have businesses and may have nobody else left in Haiti. We already had members who were afraid to come to church, and now it will be even worse.”

*An emergency rally at the Supreme Court. Photo courtesy of Office of Peacebuilding and Policy*

“I am deeply concerned and saddened by the Supreme Court’s decision to end Temporary Protected Status for Haitian immigrants,” said David Steele, general secretary of the Church of the Brethren. He shared concern for “the profound uncertainty and hardship it creates for individuals and families who have sought safety and built lives within our communities.

“As followers of Jesus Christ,” he said, “we reaffirm our commitment to stand with our Haitian brothers and sisters, advocating for compassionate policies that uphold the dignity of every person and reflect God’s call to welcome care for our neighbors, sisters, and brothers.”

Staff from the Church of the Brethren Office of Peacebuilding and Policy attended an emergency rally at the Supreme Court. They cited the Church of the Brethren’s 1982 statement on “Undocumented Persons and Refugees in the United States,” which affirms “out of obedience to our heritage and the Gospel mandate…legislation and public policies which welcome and promote the welfare of immigrants and refugees.”

Mullin v. Doe

The decision on TPS for people from Haiti and Syria reversed decisions by two district courts. Reported the Office of Peacebuilding and Policy: “The Supreme Court held that the statute establishing the framework for TPS prohibits judicial review of DHS [Department of Homeland Security] decisions on any non-constitutional claims, including claims that the Secretary failed to comply with the statute’s procedural requirement to consult with the State Department.

“The Court found that plaintiffs were not entitled to interim relief on their constitutional claim because they had failed to demonstrate that they were likely to prevail on their claim of racial animus. In reaching that finding, the Court found that none of the repeated harsh negative statements made by the President and Secretary toward Haitians and others of color were ‘overtly racial,’ or in substance and simply expressed policy view indicating that the President ‘opposes the TPS program at least as it has been implemented in the past.’”

The decision is expected to have devastating consequences for thousands of other people who also are currently protected by TPS, including people from 15 additional countries including Sudan and South Sudan, Somalia, Lebanon, and Ukraine, among others.

#MissionAndMinistryBoard #StrategicPlan #RacialJustice #LoveOurNeighbors #Discipleship #NewTestamentGiving

———-

Find more Church of the Brethren news: