LCWR denounces decision to terminate TPS for Hondurans

Note: The following was provided by the Leadership Conference of Women Religious to the Leadership Team of the Sisters of Providence for immediate publication

The Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) is deeply troubled by the decision of the Trump administration to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 57,000 Hondurans. Honduras is the seventh country whose citizens have been stripped of their right to protection by this administration.

“Rescinding TPS from human beings under continuing threat of violence of all types is inconsistent with the values and traditions of this nation and with our belief in the God-given dignity of all persons and their inalienable right to life,” said Carole Shinnick, SSND, interim executive director of LCWR.

The TPS program is designed to protect people from being returned to harm. That is precisely what Hondurans will face if they are forced to return to a country racked by violence, roiled by political repression, and plagued by continuing environmental challenges.

Hondurans have been contributing members of our communities for 20 years. They have raised families, paid taxes, and contributed to the growth and development of this country even as U.S. foreign policy has added to the endemic poverty and persistent violence that continues to afflict Honduras.

The cancellation of TPS for Hondurans brings to approximately 315,000 the number of our neighbors, friends, parishioners, co-workers, and colleagues whose gifts will be lost to us all. The short-sighted decision to rescind TPS protection for the citizens of Honduras, El Salvador, Haiti, Nepal, Liberia, Nicaragua, and Sudan places us all at risk. Ending their protection promises to tear families apart, fragment our communities, disrupt local economies, and places their well-being at risk.

Catholic sisters will continue to heed the scriptural command to welcome the stranger and care for those in need. We urge the Trump administration to reconsider its decision and we call on Congress to work in a bipartisan manner to develop legislative solutions to protect vulnerable people.