Florida Republican Congressman Carlos Giménez is urging the Trump administration to reconsider deporting Haitians protected under Temporary Protected Status (TPS), describing such a move as a “huge mistake” following the recent Supreme Court decision allowing the administration to end the protections.
Speaking on CBS News’ Face the Nation, Giménez said Haiti’s ongoing humanitarian crisis makes it unsafe for beneficiaries to return.
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“In the case of Haiti, without a doubt, 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.”
Giménez said TPS was created to protect people fleeing extraordinary conditions and argued that Haiti continues to meet that standard because of its prolonged instability, humanitarian emergency, and insecurity.
He also called for renewed protections for Venezuelans, saying TPS should be restored for those fleeing crises in their homeland.
The congressman pointed to Haiti’s years of turmoil, including the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, the devastating 2010 and 2021 earthquakes, widespread food insecurity, and escalating gang violence that has left much of the country under the control of armed groups.
His comments come after the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for the Trump administration to end TPS for approximately 350,000 Haitians, putting many at risk of losing their work authorization and eventually facing deportation, although some also have pending asylum or other immigration cases.
Last week, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin defended the administration’s position, arguing that many TPS holders have had years to pursue other legal immigration pathways.
“The whole time these individuals have been here underneath the temporary protected status, they could have applied for a visa.”
While acknowledging that TPS is intended to be temporary, Giménez argued that the program should continue to protect people when conditions in their home countries remain dangerous.
“TPS should not be abused. TPS is what it says, temporary protected status. And if you’re here for a number of years, you should change your status from TPS to something else. But, by the same token, it is meant to safeguard those that are fleeing countries which are either failed states… or countries that really can’t handle them right now, as the case of Venezuela.”
Giménez’s remarks place him among a growing number of Republican officials expressing concern about ending TPS for Haitians, citing the country’s continuing political instability, humanitarian crisis, and security challenges.
