Florida Representative Carlos Giménez (R) stated on July 5, 2026, that efforts to deport Haitians following the Supreme Court ruling upholding the Trump administration’s decision to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) protections would be a “huge mistake.” Speaking on CBS News’s “Face the Nation,” Giménez described Haiti as a “failed state” and emphasized that deporting Haitians currently under TPS back to Haiti would be ill-advised.

Giménez highlighted that TPS was originally established to protect individuals from countries facing severe crises, drawing a parallel to Venezuelans who have also lost TPS status. He suggested reinstating TPS for Venezuelans due to recent earthquakes, underscoring the need for the U.S. to act as a safeguard for vulnerable populations.

Haiti continues to grapple with a severe humanitarian crisis marked by natural disasters, political instability, and widespread gang violence. In 2021, Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated, and the country suffered a 7.2 magnitude earthquake in the southern peninsula. This event compounded the devastation from a 7.0 magnitude earthquake in 2010 that killed over 200,000 people and devastated the capital, Port-au-Prince.

According to The Hill, approximately 350,000 Haitians in the U.S. who had found safe harbor under TPS are now at risk of losing their employment authorization and facing deportation. Many are also pursuing asylum through separate channels. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin noted that many individuals who arrived under TPS 15 to 20 years ago have since changed their immigration status.

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