Florida Congressman Opposes Ending TPS for Haitian Migrants
Carlos Giménez, a congressman from Florida and Miami Cuban exile, publicly diverged from his party on Sunday by urging the White House to reconsider its efforts to terminate temporary protected status (TPS) for Haitian migrants.
Giménez warned that deporting approximately 350,000 Haitians back to their unstable and dangerous homeland following a US Supreme Court ruling permitting the administration to end TPS protections would be a serious mistake.
“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 stated. Additionally, Giménez advocated for the reinstatement of TPS for Venezuelans after the devastating twin earthquakes that struck north-central Venezuela on 24 June.
He explained that TPS is designed to protect individuals fleeing failed states or countries unable to safely accommodate their citizens, citing Venezuela’s recent natural disaster as an example.
“Temporary protected status is meant to safeguard those who are either fleeing countries that are failed states and are at risk of going back to them or countries that really can’t handle them right now, as is the case with Venezuela that has suffered a natural disaster,”
Giménez, whose family fled Cuba when he was seven, represents a portion of Miami-Dade County, which is home to roughly 110,000 residents of Haitian descent.
The Supreme Court authorized the administration’s plan to end TPS for over 350,000 Haitians and about 6,000 Syrians. A recent Department of Homeland Security guidance stated that Haitian TPS recipients will retain their status and employment authorization until lower courts align with the Supreme Court’s ruling.
Other Republican Leaders Also Oppose Ending TPS
Giménez’s stance aligns with Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine, whose state hosts a significant Haitian community in Springfield. DeWine criticized false claims made by political figures during the 2024 election campaign that targeted this community to justify anti-immigration policies.
“Look at how it’s going to impact states like Ohio. In Ohio, the Haitians are working primarily in manufacturing, they’re also working in the food area.
It’s Haitians who, many times, are taking care of your mom or your dad who has Alzheimer’s, taking care of family members who might be in a nursing home,”
the governor told CNN. “And to say we’re going to pull all those people out, it’s just not in our own self-interest.”
DeWine also emphasized that Haiti remains unsafe, referencing State Department travel advisories, and argued that ending TPS for Haitian migrants would be detrimental both to the United States and Ohio.
“Haiti was clearly not safe,”
he said, adding,
“It is not in the United States’s interest, certainly not in Ohio’s interest, to have people who are working every single day, who are supporting a family, who are buying houses, fixing up old houses, starting businesses, and then put deep roots in this country, and really are contributing – and yank them out.”
“I would hope the Trump administration would reconsider,”
New York Republican Congressman Mike Lawler, representing a competitive district, also opposes ending TPS for Haitian migrants. Lawler highlighted that one-third of Haitian TPS holders work in healthcare and warned that abruptly ending TPS would create a crisis in hospitals, nursing homes, and disability communities.
Legislative Efforts and Calls for Continued Protection
Giménez has urged the Trump administration to halt plans to end TPS for Haitian migrants and supports legislation requiring the Secretary of Homeland Security to designate Haiti for TPS until 2029.
He stated in April,
“Haiti today is overrun by violent gangs. It is neither safe nor humane to force our neighbors back into those conditions.”
“Providing TPS is not just sound policy – it’s the right thing to do and I’m proud to vote for this commonsense, bipartisan solution that ensures our Haitian neighbors can continue contributing to our community.”
The bill passed the House with a vote of 224–204, receiving support from South Florida lawmakers including María Elvira Salazar, Mario Díaz-Balart, and Giménez—all Republicans from Miami—as well as Democrats from the state. The legislation is currently awaiting Senate consideration.
