Catholic Nuns Rally for 700 to Support Haitian Neighbors

When Sister Patricia Wittberg showed up outside an ICE office in Blue Ash, Ohio, her sign said it all: "It's so bad even the NUNS are mad!" She wasn't alone.

Nearly 700 supporters lined the streets on a humid August morning, led by Catholic sisters from four orders united in their mission to support Haitian neighbors. The Sisters of Mercy, Sisters of the Precious Blood, Sisters of Charity, and Sisters of Divine Providence came together through the Ohio Sisters Justice Network to witness what they call an unjust policy change.

The crowd gathered to support Haitian immigrants from nearby Springfield who were summoned to report to ICE after the Trump administration ended Temporary Protected Status for Haiti. TPS had allowed hundreds of thousands of Haitians to live and work legally in the United States due to violence and political instability back home.

Sister Sally Duffy held an orange sign reading "Our Immigrant Brothers and Sisters have God given DIGNITY." She's been countering a common criticism with a simple truth: these immigrants came here legally.

"If it was a Bengals football game, and you changed the rules at the last second, there'd be an outrage," Sister Duffy explained. The comparison resonates in football-loving Ohio.

In Springfield, roughly one in four of the city's 60,000 residents are Haitian. For months, faith-based and secular groups have prepared for potential mass deportations by marshaling thousands of volunteers and stockpiling supplies.

At the ICE office door, Springfield pastors offered communion and prayer. One Haitian man emerged hours later with a GPS tracker clamped around his ankle. He waved to the crowd that had waited in support.

Why This Inspires

The sisters represent something powerful: people of faith putting their values into visible action. Sister Carren Herring asked the question many were thinking: "Where has our conscience gone as a society?"

These nuns aren't just praying in private. They're standing on street corners in August heat, holding signs, and challenging what they see as unjust systems. Sister Alice Gerdeman's order, the Sisters of Divine Providence, specifically supports "challenging systems that exclude."

Their presence sent a clear message to both the Haitian community and immigration officials. "They don't want another Minneapolis, but they'd love for all the Haitians to be deported in secret," Sister Wittberg said. "I don't know that we can do anything but witness that this is not a Christian thing to do."

The crowd chanted as each person arrived: "ICE does not speak for the people! No neighbor of ours is illegal!" The support continued throughout the day as about a dozen Springfield-area Haitian residents reported as required.

Faith communities across Ohio are showing that compassion isn't just a feeling—it's an action that shows up on street corners when neighbors need support most.