The African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church is horrified by the November 20, 2017 cruel announcement from the Trump Administration that it intends to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for persons from Haiti, Honduras, and Nicaragua.
One of America’s most recognized monuments is the Statue of Liberty. These powerful words from Emma Lazarus’s sonnet, The New Colossus, became a part of the statues appeal and a statement of America’s purpose: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shores. Send these, the homeless, tempest to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”
In her sonnet, Ms. Lazarus named the woman who lifted her lamp beside the golden door, The Mother of Exiles. Clearly, the Trump Administration, with its actions on DACA and now the TPS decision is putting out the lamp of freedom and welcome. It is seeking to rewrite history by letting Black and Brown people know that they will not be welcome and protected here.
Since 1822, the AME Church has a strong and historic presence in Haiti and we are especially alarmed by the impact that ending TPS will have on Haitian-American communities and on the Republic of Haiti. In 2010, Haiti was hit by an earthquake that destroyed much of the country’s infrastructure, killed 230,000 Haitian people, and added to the poverty that was crippling the nation. Moreover, the nation has experienced two devastating hurricanes since that earthquake. All updates about the recovery efforts confirm that in 2017, Haiti is not ready to receive the 60,000 Haitians who President Trump and the Department of Homeland Security have targeted to be put out of the United States in July 2019.
The Social Action Commission and the Council of Bishops of the AME Church are concerned that the politics of fear, oppression, and white supremacy are being used to impact people of color globally who need America’s support.
We are asking all AME Church districts, churches, components/organizations, pastors, and members to join us by raising their voices to influence the Trump Administration to make an exception for the Haitians, Hondurans, and Nicaraguans who will be negatively impacted by this decision.
We call upon the Congressional Black Caucus, the NAACP, the National Action Network, and all African American denominations and faith groups to join us in fighting to keep the 60,000 Haitians in America until Haiti is rebuilt and ready to receive them.
We call for solidarity with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the National Council of La Raza, and our faith partners in the Latino/Hispanic Community to address the ending of TPS in Nicaragua and Honduras.
The Social Action Commission of the AME Church
Bishop Frank Madison Reid, III, Chair
Mrs. Jacquelyn Dupont-Walker, Director
Bishop Clement W. Fugh, President of the Council of Bishops
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