House Republican breaks with Trump, says ending Haitian TPS risks US healthcare 'crisis'
Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., criticized the U.S. Supreme Court's Thursday decision in Mullin v. Doe, which ruled that Syrian and Haitian nationals seeking Temporary Protected Status (TPS) could not receive judicial relief postponing the Trump administration decision to rescind their TPS while challenging Trump's decision in court.
Lawler, in a post on X, maintained that he supported President Donald Trump's right to end TPS, but he disagreed with the decision to end it for Haitians at this time.
"While I have never disputed the ability of the President to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS), I strongly disagree with ending Haitian TPS at this time. First, the situation on the ground in Haiti is a humanitarian and political disaster and continues to warrant an extension," Lawler wrote.
Lawler cited the State Department's decision to issue a level 4 travel advisory to Americans, warning them to evacuate Haiti and not travel to the Caribbean island due to heightened gang activity.
"The gangs are in charge of the country, engaged in gun and drug trafficking, and kidnapping innocent Haitians," Lawler continued.
Lawler then pointed to the large number of Haitians on TPS working in the U.S. healthcare system, arguing that revoking the status would create a healthcare "crisis."
"Of the 350,000+ lawful Haitian TPS holders, roughly 1/3rd work in our healthcare system. Immediately shutting off TPS will create a crisis in our hospitals, nursing homes, and in the I/DD community," he said.
Lawler outlined a request to the Trump administration to extend Haitian TPS.
"I’m asking the administration to allow for an orderly process by which Haitian TPS holders can maintain their work authorization while their immigration cases are adjudicated over the next six months, if the revocation of TPS moves forward. Furthermore, I believe the Senate should take up my legislation with Congresswoman Gillen to temporarily extend Haitian TPS to address these issues," Lawler concluded.
Trump first attempted to revoke TPS for Haitians, which was initially granted after the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti, during his first term in 2017. A series of federal challenges to that attempt kept Haitian TPS in place throughout Trump's first term, but in 2025, then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem ended the status entirely.
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On Thursday, the Supreme Court bolstered that order, ruling 6-3 that federal courts do not have the jurisdiction to second-guess executive branch decisions regarding TPS terminations.
The White House and representatives for DHS reacted positively to the rulings.
"This ruling is a tremendous win for the Trump Administration. Today, the Supreme Court affirmed what President Trump has always maintained: temporary protected status is, by definition, temporary. It was never intended to be a pathway to permanent status or legal residency and it is committed to the discretion of the Secretary of Homeland Security," White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital in an exclusive statement.
"The Trump Administration continues to lawfully end the egregious abuses to our immigration system that have hurt Americans for years," Jackson concluded.
James Percival, general counsel for the DHS, also praised the ruling in a Thursday post on X.
"The Court vindicates DHS yet again," Percival wrote.
"The T in TPS stands for TEMPORARY, yet many of these designations became de facto amnesty. This is a win for the rule of law and common sense," Percival concluded.
Lawler also issued an official statement from his Congressional office clarifying his remarks.
"Congressman Lawler has consistently advocated for extending Temporary Protected Status for Haitian nationals. He co-led H.R. 1689 with Rep. Laura Gillen, urged the Administration on multiple occasions to extend TPS protections, led a bipartisan effort with local officials in support of Haitian TPS recipients, issued an open letter to the Haitian community, and voted in favor of legislation after signing the discharge petition to bring the legislation to the House floor," the statement read.
"Congressman Lawler is one of the most bipartisan members of Congress and represents New York's 17th Congressional District, which is just north of New York City and contains all or parts of Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, and Westchester Counties," the statement also read.
Fox News Digital's Robert Schmad contributed to this report.