Ten Republicans joined with Democratic House members on Thursday to pass a resolution that seeks to protect 350,000 Haitians from deportation.
The House resolution would require the secretary of Homeland Security to designate Haiti for temporary protected status until 2029. Republicans Don Bacon (NE), Mario Díaz-Balart (FL), Mike Carey (OH), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA), Carlos Giménez (FL), Mike Lawler (NY), Nicole Malliotakis (NY), Rich McCormick (GA), Maria Elvira Salazar (FL), and Mike Turner (OH), bucked President Donald Trump and his mass deportation effort and signed onto the resolution. Independent Rep. Kevin Kiley, who caucuses with the Republicans, also voted in favor of the resolution.
The Democrats broke out in cheers and applause when the resolution passed.
While President Donald Trump would likely veto the resolution if it made it to his desk, the vote reflects a divide in the Republican Party that is complicating the administration’s immigration agenda. The resolution’s passage also comes just one week after Homeland Security revealed that Rolbert Joachin, an illegal immigrant from Haiti accused of murdering a woman with a hammer, was granted temporary protected status by the Biden administration.
Joachin’s alleged murder was caught on camera, with footage showing the suspect charge a female gas station attendant in Fort Myers, Florida, before he attacks her. Trump shared the footage of the gruesome murder, calling the killer an “animal … who was released into our Country by the WORST President in History, Crooked Joe Biden.”
Last year, the Trump administration moved to terminate temporary protected status for Haitians, but the move was quickly blocked by a federal judge. The Supreme Court is expected to hear oral arguments on the issue this month after the Trump administration appealed the federal judge’s decision, NBC News reported.
The White House came out “strongly” opposing the House resolution on Wednesday, telling The Daily Wire, “The President has made it clear that this Administration’s priority is protecting the American people and addressing the criminal threat posed by those who enter this nation with little to no vetting or overstay the visa granted them.”
“Numerous Haitian nationals previously granted TPS have been the subject of administrative investigations for fraud, public safety, and national security,” the White House added.
Rep. Bacon argued that deporting 350,000 Haitians would worsen “serious workforce shortages.”
“I’ve heard from healthcare providers and business leaders across Nebraska, including @OmahaChamber, who are concerned about the impact this would have on patient care and our economy. I don’t see the goodness of deporting people who are here legally, working, and contributing to our country,” Bacon said.
Malliotakis also cited concerns about the health care industry if Haitian migrants were deported.
“Look, I have a lot of health care workers in my district that are of Haitian descent, that are on TPS and my nursing homes,” she told Fox News. “My health care facilities have said that they’re going to lose skilled staff at a time when there is a shortage. And so it’s the right thing to do for my district, for the health care facilities I represent.”
Rep. Lawler added that the deteriorating situation in Haiti would cause “chaos” and “uncertainty” for Haitian migrants if they were forced to go back to their home country. Lawler helped force the vote on the resolution and was joined by Democratic “Squad” member Ayanna Pressley (MA). The proposal was also sponsored by Florida Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, a Haitian-American who faces expulsion from the House for allegedly funneling millions of dollars into her campaign illegally.
The Trump administration has raised concerns about the large number of Haitian migrants in the United States. Trump highlighted reports on Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, during his 2024 election campaign, including on stage during a debate against then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
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