10 House Republicans Just Helped Democrats Pass a Bill Shielding 330,000 Haitians From Deportation

Ten House Republicans just crossed the aisle and voted with every single Democrat to pass a bill extending deportation protections for over 330,000 Haitian nationals. The vote was 224-204. President Trump has already signaled he will veto it.

Let that sink in. While the Trump administration has been working to end Temporary Protected Status for Haitians, arguing the designation “contradicts U.S. national interests,” a group of GOP members decided to join the progressive wing of the Democrat Party and go around their own leadership to make it happen.

The bill, HR 1689, would extend Haitian TPS through 2029. It was forced to the floor through a discharge petition led by Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, the same progressive Democrat who has called for abolishing ICE. She needed 218 signatures to bypass Republican leadership, and she got them.

Senator Katie Britt of Alabama was not impressed. She made it clear exactly where this bill is headed next.

This is dead on arrival in the Senate.

Temporary Protected Status is just that: temporary. Beyond that, 91% of all Haitian TPS holders entered the country illegally.

In the last election, the American people rejected mass migration policies that effectively grant amnesty to… https://t.co/eim5EUE3AA

— Senator Katie Boyd Britt (@SenKatieBritt) April 17, 2026

Britt is right. The bill has virtually zero chance in the Republican-controlled Senate. And even if it somehow squeaked through, President Trump would veto it in a heartbeat.

So who are the 10 House Republicans who voted for this?

CBS News reported on the full list of Republican crossovers:

Seven Republicans broke ranks across procedural and final votes. Discharge petition signers included Maria Elvira Salazar of Florida, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Mike Lawler of New York, and Don Bacon of Nebraska.

Nicole Malliotakis of New York, Carlos Gimenez of Florida, and Kevin Kiley of California supported the floor procedure. Mike Carey of Ohio, Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida, Rich McCormick of Georgia, and Mike Turner of Ohio voted for final passage.

Rep. Mike Lawler highlighted a contradictory policy: “The State Department itself says Haiti is unsafe for Americans to travel to,” creating what he called a logical inconsistency with deportation plans.

Three of the ten are from Florida, where large Haitian communities could factor into midterm races. Two are from Ohio. The political calculus is obvious, even if the timing is terrible.

And Pressley? She was celebrating like she just won the Super Bowl.

WE DID IT! We forced the House to pass our extension of TPS for Haiti.

This is a victory in our long-fought battle to protect the dignity & humanity of our Haitian neighbors.

To our Haitian family in the MA-7th and across this country, this one’s for you.

On to the Senate. https://t.co/HknDUsG7C8 pic.twitter.com/JLtMI0AMkn

— Ayanna Pressley (@AyannaPressley) April 16, 2026

Newsweek detailed the arguments some of these Republicans used to justify their votes:

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis said nursing homes in her district would lose skilled and dedicated 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,” she said.

Rep. Don Bacon argued that removing TPS would cost 350,000 healthcare workers their jobs during serious workforce shortages. “Deporting people who are here legally and contributing seems unconscionable,” Bacon said.

Here is the full list of Republican members who voted with Democrats: Brian Fitzpatrick (PA), Mike Lawler (NY), Don Bacon (NE), Maria Elvira Salazar (FL), Carlos Gimenez (FL), Nicole Malliotakis (NY), Rich McCormick (GA), Mike Turner (OH), Mike Carey (OH), and Mario Diaz-Balart (FL). California independent Kevin Kiley, who caucuses with Republicans, also voted yes.

The irony here is thick. The bill closely mirrors legislation that Secretary of State Marco Rubio himself authored back in 2019 when he was still a senator. But that was a different political moment, and the Trump administration has made it clear that extending TPS for Haitians is not on the table.

The bottom line: this bill is going nowhere. Senator Britt called it “dead on arrival” and she is almost certainly correct. But the 10 Republicans who crossed the aisle just handed Democrats a talking point and gave their own voters a reason to question their loyalty. With midterms on the horizon, that is a bet some of them may come to regret.