Giménez Splits With Trump on Haiti TPS
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- Carlos Giménez (R-FL), who represents part of Miami-Dade County and whose family fled Cuba when he was seven, told CBS News that deporting Haitians under TPS back to a 'failed state' would be 'a huge mistake.'
- The Supreme Court ruling authorized the Trump administration to end TPS for roughly 350,000 Haitians and approximately 6,000 Syrians, though a DHS guidance said Haiti beneficiaries will retain status until lower courts align with the decision.
- Giménez also called for reinstating TPS for Venezuelans, citing the twin earthquakes that struck north-central Venezuela on June 24 as a natural disaster the country 'can't handle right now.'
- Ohio Governor Mike DeWine (R) added his opposition last week, telling CNN that Haitians in his state work primarily in manufacturing and food service and often care for family members with Alzheimer's in nursing homes.
- New York Republican Mike Lawler, who represents a swing district, warned that one-third of Haitian TPS holders work in healthcare and that immediately shutting off TPS would 'create a crisis' in hospitals and nursing homes.
- Giménez previously backed HR 1689, which passed the House 224–204 and would require the homeland security secretary to designate Haiti for TPS until 2029; the bill now awaits Senate consideration.
- Miami-Dade County is home to approximately 110,000 residents of Haitian ancestry, a constituency that shapes Giménez's position alongside fellow South Florida Republicans María Elvira Salazar and Mario Díaz-Balart who co-sponsored the bill.
- Haiti remains overrun by violent gangs, per Giménez's April statement, and the State Department's travel advisories classify it as unsafe—grounds DeWine cited for arguing termination 'is not in the United States's interest.'
Why it matters: The rebellion is bipartisan in geography if not party label: Republicans from a Haitian-heavy Florida district, a manufacturing-heavy Ohio city, and a swing New York seat are publicly warning the White House that stripping TPS would pull roughly 350,000 working Haitians—including one-third in healthcare per Lawler—out of hospitals, nursing homes, and factories, creating political and economic pressure that HR 1689's stalled Senate path may not resolve.
