The House of Representatives on Thursday passed legislation requiring the Trump administration to extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for hundreds of thousands of Haitian migrants, marking a rare bipartisan rebuke of the administration’s immigration policy.
The measure passed 224–204, with 10 Republicans joining Democrats to approve a three-year extension of protections for roughly 350,000 Haitians currently living in the United States. The vote followed an unusual procedural push led by Rep. Ayanna Pressley, who used a discharge petition to force the bill onto the House floor over the objections of Republican leadership.
The Republicans who crossed party lines included Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, Mike Lawler, Don Bacon, Maria Salazar, Carlos Gimenez, Nicole Malliotakis, Rich McCormick, Mike Turner, Mike Carey, and Mario Diaz-Balart, along with Kevin Kiley, who caucuses with Republicans.
The vote represents one of the most significant breaks within the GOP on immigration during President Donald J. Trump’s second term. The administration has been moving to terminate TPS protections for multiple countries, including Haiti, arguing that the program has been overextended and should return to its temporary roots.
TPS, created in 1990, allows individuals from designated countries to live and work legally in the U.S. if conditions in their home country—such as armed conflict or natural disasters—make return unsafe. The designation does not provide a path to citizenship but offers temporary legal status and work authorization.
Supporters of the extension pointed to Haiti’s ongoing instability, including years of political upheaval, natural disasters, and widespread gang violence. Lawmakers backing the bill argued that conditions remain too dangerous to justify deportations.
Lawler, one of the Republicans who supported the measure, said the situation in Haiti warranted continued protections.
“There is no question that TPS is meant to be temporary,” he said. “But sending people back to unsafe conditions when they are currently here lawfully is unjust and unwise.”
Several Florida Republicans also backed the bill, reflecting the influence of large Haitian communities in their districts. Gimenez said deporting individuals currently living and working legally in the U.S. would be inappropriate given conditions on the ground.
Malliotakis pointed to economic considerations in her district, particularly in the healthcare sector.
“I have a lot of health care workers in my district that are of Haitian descent… my facilities have said they’re going to lose skilled staff,” she said, adding that extending TPS addresses both workforce needs and humanitarian concerns.
Democrats framed the vote as urgent, warning that ending protections could have severe consequences for families and communities. Pressley said deportations would send individuals back into “danger” and “instability,” calling the measure necessary to prevent harm.
The bill’s passage follows a successful discharge petition effort, a rarely used legislative maneuver that allows rank-and-file lawmakers to force a vote if 218 members sign on. The tactic is uncommon precisely because it requires members of the majority party to defy their own leadership.
Despite clearing the House, the legislation faces long odds in the Senate, where it is expected to stall. Under current rules, most legislation requires 60 votes to advance, and Republicans are unlikely to provide the level of support needed to overcome a filibuster.
The issue is also being contested in the courts. A federal judge recently blocked the administration’s attempt to end TPS protections for Haitians, temporarily halting the policy while legal challenges proceed. The broader question of TPS authority and its limits is expected to reach the Supreme Court of the United States.
For now, the House vote underscores both the political sensitivity of immigration policy and the limits of party unity on the issue. While the Trump administration continues to push for tighter restrictions, Thursday’s vote showed that a bloc of Republicans is willing to break ranks under specific circumstances—particularly when local economic and humanitarian concerns are at stake.
The Senate is unlikely to vote for the extension TPS for the Haitian migrants. President Trump would also certainly veto it.