The House voted Wednesday to advance legislation that would restore temporary protections for Haitian immigrants in the United States, with a small group of Republicans breaking with Donald Trump to oppose a key component of his immigration agenda.
In a 219-209 vote, lawmakers approved a discharge petition forcing consideration of a bill that would grant Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, to eligible Haitians for three years. The measure is now set for a final vote Thursday.
The procedural move, led by Ayanna Pressley, allows rank-and-file members to bypass House leadership and bring legislation to the floor despite opposition from Republican leaders.
“This is a critical step forward in our fight for immigrant justice and delivering our Haitian neighbors the protections they deserve,” Pressley said in a statement, calling the effort a bipartisan achievement.
The bill, introduced by Laura Gillen and Mike Lawler, would extend TPS protections to Haitian nationals, allowing them to live and work legally in the United States while conditions in their home country remain unsafe.
TPS is a federal designation granted to nationals of countries experiencing armed conflict, environmental disasters or other extraordinary conditions. Haiti has faced years of instability, including widespread gang violence, kidnappings and political unrest.
Gillen argued on the House floor that U.S. policy is inconsistent, noting that the State Department considers Haiti too dangerous for American travelers while the administration has pushed to end protections for Haitian immigrants.
“Removing our neighbors would not just be a humanitarian catastrophe; it would hurt our economy,” she said, pointing to the role Haitian immigrants play in health care, education and caregiving sectors.
Six Republicans joined Democrats to advance the bill, including Reps. María Elvira Salazar, Carlos Gimenez, Brian Fitzpatrick, Don Bacon, Lawler and Nicole Malliotakis.
Bacon said removing TPS protections could harm the U.S. workforce, noting that Haitian immigrants fill critical roles. “I don’t see the goodness of deporting people who are here legally, working, and contributing to our country,” he wrote on social media.
Malliotakis echoed those concerns, citing nursing homes in her district that rely on Haitian workers. She warned that ending protections would disrupt patient care and local economies.
The vote comes as the Trump administration continues its effort to terminate TPS for approximately 350,000 Haitians. A federal judge blocked the move last year, and the case is now expected to be taken up by the Supreme Court.
Advocacy groups and immigration experts say revoking TPS could have sweeping consequences, not only for affected families but also for industries that depend on immigrant labor.
The debate has intensified following a recent violent crime in Florida involving a Haitian national, which Trump cited as justification for stricter immigration policies. Critics argue that isolated incidents should not shape broader policy decisions affecting hundreds of thousands of people.
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Wednesday’s vote.
If approved in Thursday’s final vote, the legislation would mark a rare bipartisan rebuke of the administration’s immigration stance and set up a likely clash in the Senate over the future of protections for Haitian immigrants.
