Open letter to Ohio US Sen. Bernie Moreno: Haitian parents love their children too

Sen. Moreno, we can see that you love your daughter and granddaughter — it’s clear from the statement you released on X. Domestic violence is a national epidemic that scars families of every race and religion, in every neighborhood. It’s important that you are speaking up now, even though it’s difficult.

We have to talk about domestic violence and we have to develop new, visible approaches to addressing it. Keeping the problem hidden only allows it to continue, and passes the pattern on to future generations.

I think we can all agree that everyone deserves to live in a safe home and community. Which is why I hope you can see why Ohioans born in Haiti need to stay here. To paraphrase Sting, I know Haitian-Ohioans love their children too.

Any parent would do anything they could to keep their children safe. All Haitian-Ohioans are asking is that the government continue their Temporary Protected Status.

I know you said that “temporary is temporary.” That is true. The definition of temporary is “not permanent.” That doesn’t mean “short term.”

Now is not the time to pull the plug on legal status for Haitians. No one believes that country is a safe place to send anyone.

There’s a bill pending in the U.S. Senate that would extend Haitians’ Temporary Protected Status into 2029. It would bring relief and hope to these constituents’ lives. And if you don’t like the fact that it expires in 2029, the Senate has the power and authority to amend it and make their status permanent.

Members of Congress recently returned from Haiti, where they went to view conditions on the ground. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast (R-FL) led the delegation.

He told Fox News Digital about a 6 year-old girl — a U.S. citizen — who was raped while held hostage by gangs for at least six weeks. “It appears as though we were able to secure the release yesterday,” he said, citing an “agreement” on ransom money to be paid by her family.

Mast also described the torture and murder of a heavy machinery operator. The man had been assisting police. Gangs kidnapped his family and then offered a trade — his life for theirs.

“They brutally killed him. I mean it’s all on video. They cut off his ears, fed him his own ears… Then they hacked at him for probably at least five minutes with machetes. His limbs looked like a Christmas tree afterwards, with just bone and skin and other things coming off of him, until ultimately they killed him. That is who these gangs are.”

Many Haitians deported from the U.S. have been raped and murdered. They are seen as ripe targets, because gangs believe they have ransom money.

Already this year, more than 2,000 people have been killed, thousands have been raped, and nearly 1.5 million are internally displaced.

Haitians in Ohio already know all of this. They are connected to their home. They saw it happen while they were there.

“Nearly all of them have seen friends or family members killed,” said Springfield, Ohio Pastor Carl Ruby, one of the faith leaders leading the charge to keep Haitians in their Ohio homes.

It’s not only adults carrying these memories. Ruby frequently recalls how a 12 year-old told him about seeing feral hogs eating bodies when he was much younger, in Haiti.

Our own State Department says, “Do not travel to Haiti for any reason.”

If you decide to go, against their advice, the travel advisory instructs you to prepare a will, establish a proof of life protocol with your loved ones, and choose a family member to serve as a point of contact with kidnappers.

Ransoms run in the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars; you may be killed; and if you are only injured, hospitals lack basic supplies.

The State Department also tells you to “have a plan to leave in an emergency that does not depend on U.S. government help.”

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said deporting Haitian-Ohioans would be sending them “back to hell.”

As Catholics, we know that is a profound statement.

Senator, you know what it means to fear for your family’s safety. You know the relief of seeing them protected. Haitian-Ohioans are asking for the same relief — and the power is in your hands.

In his song “Russians,” Sting sang, “We share the same biology, regardless of ideology.”

You applied for your job as a Senator representing all of Ohio, and you applied for your job as a parent. This is a moment where both jobs point to the same decision.

When it comes to the U.S. Senate TPS bill for Haitians, your constituents’ lives depend on it.

Lynn Tramonte is a parent and Executive Director of the Ohio Immigrant Alliance. The organization’s resource website for people who want to protect immigrants, or immigrants who want to learn about their rights, is OhioIsHome.org.