The House voted to force a vote on a bill that would extend protections for Haitian immigrants with six Republicans helping to pass the legislation.
The legislation would reinstate temporary protections for 350,000 Haitians living in the United States, over the opposition of President Donald Trump.
The bill was advanced following a discharge petition filed by Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., and had the support of 212 Democrats and one independent.
Discharge petitions allow votes to bypass the House speaker if 218 representatives vote in favor.
Final passage of the bill is expected Thursday or Friday.
Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., was one of six Republicans who voted to advance the legislation.
"I have one of the largest Haitian populations in the country in my district," Lawler said to the Washington Post.
"If you end [temporary protections] without addressing work authorization, it will cause a huge crisis in our healthcare system, especially in an area like mine, where a lot of our Haitian TPS holders are nurses," Lawler added.
Republican Reps. Maria Elvira Salazar and Carlos Giminez of Florida, Brian Fitzpatrick and Don Bacon of Nebraska, and Nicole Malliotakis of New York, were the other Republicans who voted to advance the legislation.
The bill is unlikely to advance through the Senate and would almost certainly be vetoed by President Donald Trump.
The vote represents the first time the Republican-controlled Congress voted against a Trump immigration policy.
"These 350,000 Haitian nationals are our neighbors," Pressley said to the Post.
"They’re valued members of our community," she said.
Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had previously determined that Haiti no longer meets the standard of "extraordinary and temporary conditions" required to justify TPS protections.
The courts have blocked the termination of the protections, with an argument set for the Supreme Court on Wednesday, April 29.
TPS for Haitians had been previously extended by former President Joe Biden in 2024, citing overlapping economic, security, political, and health crises.
The administration’s move came as Haiti continues to face spiraling gang violence, economic collapse, and a government that has struggled to function — conditions that have displaced more than 1 million Haitians in recent years.
Still, DHS says the situation no longer justifies blanket protection inside the United States.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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