Representative Sheila Cherfilus McCormick (D-FL) issued a statement after the Trump Administration announced they would rescind Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 500,000 Haitians in the United States, urging reversal.
On Thursday, the new Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, announced that TPS extensions for Haitians in the United States would be rescinded on August 3rd, 2025.
The decision vacated a Biden-Harris Administration decision to extend TPS for Haitians by 18 months, which DHS called "far longer than justified or necessary."
"Biden and Mayorkas attempted to tie the hands of the Trump administration by extending Haiti's Temporary Protected Status by 18 months—far longer than justified or necessary. We are returning integrity to the TPS system, which has been abused and exploited by illegal aliens for decades. President Trump and Secretary Noem are returning TPS to its original status: temporary," a DHS spokeswoman said.
In her response, Rep. Cherfilus McCormick argued that the potential removal of 500,000 workers would affect the economy, as the Haitians living in the U.S. under TPS are also taxpayers.
"The abrupt removal of nearly half a million workers will have an immense and irreparable impact on businesses across the country and our economy at large. Haitians with TPS status legally work and pay taxes in the U.S. Across the country, they have strengthened our workforce, supporting our airports, our hospitals, our small businesses, and our schools. This decision will jeopardize our national security and significantly affect and damage the economies of numerous communities nationwide. I urge the administration to revisit and reverse this decision," Rep. Cherfilus McCormick said.
In addition to Haiti, the Trump Administration has announced the removal of TPS status for 500,000 Venezuelans in the United States, which has provoked a response from several Republicans.
Florida Reps. Carlos Gimenez (R), Mario Diaz-Balart (R), Maria Elvira Salazar (R), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D), and Weston Commissioner Fabio Andrade are among the locals who also disagree with ending TPS, arguing that law-abiding Venezuelans should not be deported.
Moreover, experts argued that toughening sanctions on the regime of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela would only encourage more to flee the country, rendering the efforts to remove those in the United States pointless.
