Eleven House Republicans broke with their party and voted with nearly every single Democrat to overturn President Donald Trump‘s effort to end temporary protection status for Haitian migrants.
A three-year extension of TPS for Haiti passed the House in a 224-204 vote. The measure only passed thanks to the help of the GOP defectors. By voting to extend TPS, the House could shield 350,000 Haitian nationals from deportation for at least three years.
TPS lets migrants stay within the United States and get work permits if it is determined that deporting them to their country of origin is unsafe.
The White House and GOP lawmakers have argued that the program has been expanded beyond its original intention. They note that a number of Haitian nationals were first granted permission to remain in the U.S. after a catastrophic earthquake struck Haiti in 2010. Administration officials have also argued that conditions in Haiti have improved and deporting individuals will no longer be a detriment.
Thursday’s vote seems to indicate that not everyone is buying that argument, however.
House Democrats were able to force a floor vote on the three-year extension using a discharge petition. The parliamentary procedure, rarely used, allows legislation to bypass the committee process and come right to the House floor for a vote if it has the support of at least 218 lawmakers.
Four Republicans originally joined all Democrats to reach the 218-signature threshold. Those original Republicans were Reps. Mike Lawler (R-NY), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Don Bacon (R-NE), and Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL).
On Thursday, those four were joined by seven other GOP or GOP-adjacent lawmakers to hand Trump a defeat. The seven additional members were Reps. Kevin Kiley (I-CA), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), Carlos Gimenez (R-FL), Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), Rich McCormick (R-GA), Michael Turner (R-OH), and Mike Carey (R-OH).
Many of the Republicans who voted for the measure represent districts with sizable Haitian immigration communities.
The measure now heads to the Senate, where it will need at least 60 votes to overcome the filibuster. If the bill does pass the Senate, Trump is likely to veto, meaning two-thirds of both chambers of Congress would need to vote to override.
Maria Elvira Salazar
Salazar represents a large Haitian community in Miami and its suburbs in South Florida. She has also championed a controversial immigration reform bill that would give a pathway to legal status to millions of illegal immigrants. The Florida Republican has also been an outspoken critic of mass deportations.
“In Congress, I’ve been one of the strongest voices fighting for TPS protections for Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Haiti, and leading the fight for Cubans seeking a legal, lasting solution,” Salazar wrote on X earlier this month. “Because the reality is clear. They cannot safely return home.”
Mike Lawler
Lawler, who faces an uphill reelection battle, represents a district with the second-largest Haitian population in the country.
The New York Republican spoke at a press conference Wednesday in support of the measure, highlighting the devastating effects ending TPS for Haiti would have on his district.
Nicole Malliotakis
Nicole Malliotakis told the Washington Examiner on Wednesday that letting TPS expire would be “uncompassionate and misguided.”
“We’ve heard from nursing homes in our district that will lose skilled and dedicated nursing staff if TPS is not renewed,” she said. “These are Haitian immigrants who are working, paying taxes, and contributing to our economy and fulfilling a healthcare need.”
Brian Fitzpatrick
Fitzpatrick, also holding a competitive seat, is a centrist Republican not afraid to buck his party.
Fitzpatrick voted against Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act last year and then led a bipartisan effort to extend Obamacare subsidies.
Don Bacon
Bacon, a Trump critic, is retiring at the end of his term after holding his increasingly blue-trending seat centered on Omaha, Nebraska, since 2017.
“Removing TPS status for Haitians living in the United States would cost 350,000 workers their ability to work at a time when we’re already facing serious workforce shortages,” Bacon wrote on X.
Kevin Kiley
Kiley left the Republican Party earlier this year to become an independent, although he still caucuses with the House GOP.
Kiley was drawn out of his current district after California voters passed a redistricted congressional map in response to the Texas legislature doing the same.
Carlos Gimenez
Gimenez, the only Cuban-born member of Congress, has been “sounding the alarm” on the humanitarian crisis in Haiti and how it affects his district.
Mario Diaz-Balart
Diaz-Balart has been a longtime supporter of TPS for Haiti, after writing a letter to former President Barack Obama requesting this status following an earthquake in the country.
“I am grateful that President Obama has granted TPS for Haitians currently residing in the U.S.,” he wrote in 2010 when Obama granted Haitians TPS. “This designation is timely, compassionate, and much needed. My office is ready to assist Haitian nationals seeking TPS.”
Mike Carey, Michael Turner, and Rich McCormick
McCormick, Turner, and Carey had not voted for the measure on any procedural votes ahead of the final passage on Thursday.
Carey worked in a bipartisan manner in 2024 to urge the Biden administration to designate TPS for Mauritania. Both he and Turner represent sizable Haitian populations centered on Springfield, Ohio.
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The Washington Examiner reached out to McCormick, Turner, and Carey’s offices.
