House Republicans defy Trump to shield Haitians from deportation

A group of House Republicans defied President Donald Trump on Thursday to support shielding more than 350,000 Haitian nationals from deportation. 

Ten GOP lawmakers joined Democrats and one independent to approve legislation that would allow Haitians to be eligible for the temporary protected status (TPS) program for another three years.

Those Republicans included Reps. Mike Lawler and Nicole Malliotakis of New York; Maria Elvira Salazar, Mario Diaz-Balart and Carlos Gimenez of Florida. Don Bacon of Nebraska; Rich McCormick of Georgia; Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania; and Mike Carey and Mike Turner of Ohio. Many in that cohort have large Haitian diaspora communities in their districts.

The TPS program allows foreign nationals whose home countries face humanitarian crises or dangerous conditions to temporarily live and work in the United States without fear of deportation. It does not provide a pathway to citizenship.

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The successful vote comes as the Trump administration has sought to revoke the TPS program for Haiti, arguing that conditions have improved in the country and that granting Haitians legal protections runs counter to American interests. The effort is currently stalled as the TPS termination works its way through the nation’s courts. 

The measure is largely symbolic due to resistance from Senate Republicans who are not expected to hold a vote on renewing TPS for Haitians. Trump would almost certainly veto a TPS extension bill that clears Congress. 

Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., a member of the "Squad," used a legislative maneuver known as a discharge petition to force a chamber vote on the TPS extension bill. The effort would have been futile without the support of a handful of Republicans who signed Pressley’s discharge petition to reach the necessary 218 signatures and trigger a vote.

Rep. Laura Gillen, D-N.Y., sponsored the resolution on the House floor.

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The president has also spotlighted the killing of a Florida woman by a Haitian illegal immigrant earlier in April. The suspect, Rolbert Joachim, 40, reportedly received TPS status during the Biden administration.

"An Illegal Alien Criminal from Haiti, who was released into our Country by the WORST President in History, Crooked Joe Biden, and the Radical Democrats in Congress, just beat an innocent woman to death with a hammer at a gas station in Florida," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. 

"This one killing should be enough for these Radical Judges to STOP impeding my Administration’s Immigration Policies, and allow us to END THIS SCAM ONCE AND FOR ALL."

Proponents of the measure argued that Haitians, who have been granted work authorization through the TPS program, have a positive economic impact on communities.

"I’ve heard from healthcare providers and business leaders across Nebraska who are concerned about the impact this would have on patient care and our economy," Bacon, who is retiring, told Fox News Digital. 

"I don’t see the goodness of deporting people who are here legally, who are working and who contribute to our country."

But the majority of House Republicans have stood by the Trump administration’s decision to revoke the TPS program for Haiti. 

"Members of Congress have a sacred and exclusive duty to our American constituents, not to foreign nationals," Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., who is running for governor, told Fox News Digital.