6 House Republicans Vote To Block Trump From Enforcing Immigration Law:
Six so-called “Republicans” voted Wednesday alongside Democrats to advance legislation that would extend Temporary Protected Status for Haitian migrants despite the Trump administration’s efforts to end the widely exploited program.
Republican Reps. Don Bacon (Neb.), Brian Fitzpatrick (Penn.), Mike Lawler (N.Y.), Maria Elvira Salazar (Fla.), Carlos Gimenez (Fla.) and Nicole Malliotakis (N.Y.) voted alongside Democrats to pass Democrat Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley’s discharge petition that would extend TPS for Haitians until April of 2029.
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) told Newsweek she voted to extend TPS for Haitians because she thinks of America as an economic opportunity zone.
“These are Haitian immigrants who are working, paying taxes and contributing to our economy and fulfilling a healthcare need,” she said, claiming Haitians are filling alleged employment gaps in nursing homes. “To strip them of their status and deport them to a country in peril would be uncompassionate and misguided.”
TPS is supposed to be a “temporary” and narrow program for migrants fleeing nations experiencing war, unrest or natural disasters in their native countries. Haiti was granted TPS in 2010 after an earthquake, though presidents have extended the protections over things like political instability and violence. But as Hart Celler explained in these pages, while “Designations must last between 6 and 18 months … the law is silent on how long a designation should last once conditions improve — a silence that has allowed TPS to become a revolving door of indefinite extensions for some …”
The program has been exploited to bring in alleged murderers, like the one accused of using a hammer to bludgeon a woman to death at a Florida gas station earlier this month. Surveillance footage appears to show Haitian national Rolbert Joachim approaching an unsuspecting gas station clerk on April 3 and then beating her to death with a hammer within two minutes. --->READ MORE HERE
Full List of Republicans Who Voted to Extend Haitians’ Protected Status
Six House Republicans and independent Representative Kevin Kiley joined all Democrats on Wednesday to advance legislation extending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian immigrants, delivering a 219–209 vote that moved the measure forward over opposition from President Donald Trump and his allies.
While it was not immediately clear why the six Republicans had backed the bill, it will likely be a blow to the Trump administration's efforts to tighten the legal immigration system.
Over the past year, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has repeatedly moved to end TPS for multiple nationalities, arguing that the program has long been abused by the unnecessary extension of statuses. Advocates have argued that the immigrants covered by TPS face returning to countries where conditions remain volatile, despite State Department claims.
"We’ve heard from nursing homes in our district that will lose skilled and dedicated nursing staff if TPS is not renewed. These are Haitian immigrants who are working, paying taxes and contributing to our economy and fulfilling a healthcare need," New York Republican Nicole Malliotakis told Newsweek in a statement. "To strip them of their status and deport them to a country in peril would be uncompassionate and misguided.”
Which Republicans Voted to Extend TPS?
The House Republicans voting to extend TPS were: Don Bacon of Nebraska, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Mike Lawler of New York, María Elvira Salazar of Florida, Carlos Giménez of Florida, and Nicole Malliotakis of New York. Kiley recently left the Republican Party to become an independent.
“Removing the TPS status would cost 350,000 healthcare workers their ability to work at a time when we’re already facing serious workforce shortages," Bacon told Newsweek in a statement. "I’ve heard from healthcare providers and business leaders across Nebraska 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, who are working, and who contribute to our country.” --->READ MORE HERE
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