10 House Republicans Side with Democrats in Bid to Block Trump from Deporting Haitian Immigrants

House Democrats, joined by a bloc of Republican defectors, pushed through a controversial immigration measure Thursday that directly challenges the enforcement agenda of President Donald J. Trump—highlighting growing divisions within the GOP over border policy.

The legislation, which aims to preserve Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 300,000 Haitian nationals currently residing in the United States, passed with the support of ten Republicans who broke ranks with both party leadership and the Trump administration’s immigration priorities, according to NBC News.

Among those siding with Democrats were Reps. María Elvira Salazar, Carlos A. Gimenez, and Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida; Rich McCormick of Georgia; Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania; Don Bacon of Nebraska; Mike Lawler and Nicole Malliotakis of New York; along with Mike Carey and Mike Turner of Ohio.

The bill advanced via a rarely used procedural maneuver known as a discharge petition, allowing lawmakers to bypass House leadership and force a floor vote despite opposition from Republican leadership.

While the measure is unlikely to become law, the debate surrounding it exposed deep ideological fault lines—particularly on the issue of so-called “temporary” immigration protections.

During a heated exchange on the House floor, Florida Republican Rep. Randy Fine delivered a blunt critique of TPS, arguing the policy has strayed far from its original intent.

“What began during President Barack Obama’s administration as a humanitarian gesture for illegal immigrants from Haiti in the wake of the Caribbean country’s devastating 2010 earthquake has become a seemingly fixed feature of American life,” Fine noted.

“This whole thing is a scam,” he said, according to NBC News.

“I did not come here to protect Haitians. I came to protect for the good of our country and the only discharge petition I will support is the one that discharges all of these people back to Haiti.”

The legislation now heads to the Republican-controlled Senate, where its prospects remain dim. Even if it were to clear both chambers, it would almost certainly face a veto from President Trump, whose administration has consistently moved to end TPS designations viewed as outdated or abused.

In fact, it was the Trump Department of Homeland Security that formally terminated Haiti’s TPS designation last year—a move temporarily halted earlier this year by a federal judge who controversially cited alleged “hostility to nonwhite immigrants” as a factor in blocking deportations.

Despite the bill’s largely symbolic nature, backlash from grassroots conservatives was immediate and intense. Reaction on social media platform X underscored the frustration many feel toward Republicans perceived as undermining the administration’s immigration crackdown.

“Totally sickening!” one X user wrote, capturing the prevailing sentiment online. “Trump must veto it. We must replace these 10 republicans who have betrayed us!”

For many on the right, Thursday’s vote was less about policy and more about loyalty—raising serious questions about whether elements within the GOP are willing to stand firm on border security as President Trump continues his second-term push to restore immigration enforcement and national sovereignty.