Carlos Gimenez, a Republican congressman from Miami, is pushing back against the Trump administration's effort to strip temporary protected status from hundreds of thousands of Haitian migrants, calling the plan a major policy error that contradicts practical economic interests across the country.
Following a Supreme Court ruling that cleared the way for the administration to eliminate TPS protections, Gimenez told CBS News on Sunday that sending approximately 350,000 Haitians back to their home country would be misguided. "Haiti is a failed state, and I think that deporting Haitians that are under TPS right now, back to Haiti, would be a huge mistake," he said.
Gimenez, whose family fled Cuba when he was seven and who represents a Miami-Dade district with roughly 110,000 residents of Haitian ancestry, framed TPS as a protection mechanism designed specifically for people fleeing failed states or countries unable to absorb returning populations. He also called for restoring TPS status to Venezuelans following devastating earthquakes that struck the country in June.
The Supreme Court's decision authorized plans to end TPS for over 350,000 Haitians and approximately 6,000 Syrians. The Department of Homeland Security issued guidance last week stating that TPS Haiti beneficiaries will retain their status and work authorization pending alignment of lower courts with the high court's decision.
Gimenez is not alone in questioning the policy. Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine has similarly urged the Trump administration to reconsider, pointing to the economic consequences in his state, which has a thriving Haitian community in Springfield. DeWine emphasized that Haitians are filling critical roles in manufacturing, food production, and care work for elderly and disabled residents.
"It's Haitians who, many times, are taking care of your mom or your dad who has Alzheimer's," DeWine told CNN, framing the issue as one of self-interest. He noted that ending protections would disrupt people who are "working every single day, who are supporting a family, who are buying houses, fixing up old houses, starting businesses," and yanking them out would not serve the country's interests.
New York Republican Mike Lawler, a congressman representing a swing district, has also voiced opposition. Lawler cited data showing that roughly one-third of Haitian TPS holders work in healthcare, warning that sudden deportations would "create a crisis" in hospitals, nursing homes, and disability services.
This congressional pressure reflects broader concerns about the humanitarian and practical implications of the policy. Gimenez has been consistent in his stance, backing bipartisan legislation earlier this year that would require the Department of Homeland Security to designate Haiti for TPS through 2029. In April, he warned that "Haiti today is overrun by violent gangs. It is neither safe nor humane to force our neighbors back into those conditions."
That bill, HR 1689, passed the House by a vote of 224 to 204, drawing support from South Florida Republicans including Maria Elvira Salazar and Mario Diaz-Balart, along with state Democrats. The measure now awaits Senate action.
Author James Rodriguez: "The fact that Republicans from immigration-sensitive districts are breaking with the administration on this shows the TPS issue cuts across typical political lines when real constituent interest is at stake."
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