Attempt to halt imminent deportations of Haitians and Syrians blocked in US Senate

By Ariana Figueroa, Missouri Independent

WASHINGTON — U.S. Maryland Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen Wednesday tried to advance in the Senate a bill that would create a legal pathway for immigrants with Temporary Protected Status.

However, his request for unanimous consent, a way to expedite legislation in the chamber, was blocked by Missouri Republican Eric Schmitt. 

Van Hollen said the bill, S. 2106, is in response to the Supreme Court’s decision last month to allow the Trump administration to continue with its efforts to strip legal status from hundreds of thousands of Haitians and Syrians with TPS. They are bracing to lose their deportation protections this week. 

“That decision puts them and other TPS holders at risk of deportation to countries where violence, instability, and humanitarian crises continue to threaten their lives,” Van Hollen said. 

TPS is a form of legal status given to nationals who hail from countries deemed too dangerous for return, and protections can last anywhere from six to 18 months. Immigrants must be vetted during each renewal cycle to keep their work authorization and deportation protections in place. 

Before the second Trump administration came into office, more than 1 million immigrants hailing from 17 countries had temporary protections. 

“There are already reports that ICE is planning to target Haitian TPS holders for deportation as soon as this week, which would force hundreds of thousands of people to return to a country that our State Department warns is unsafe for travel,” Van Hollen said. 

The State Department advises against any travel to Haiti, citing kidnapping and gang violence. 

“In other words, the Trump administration would force people back to a country where the State Department says, ‘Don’t go there because it’s unsafe,’” Van Hollen said. 

In a United Nations security meeting this month, senior officials gave a briefing on conditions in Haiti, citing that millions of Haitians “remain displaced or food insecure, while women and children bear the brunt of the violence.”

Van Hollen added that the bill is needed because the Trump administration’s actions to end TPS circumvent Congress’ original intent when it created the program in the 1990s. 

“The Supreme Court decision does not have to be the end of the story,” Van Hollen said. “We can write the end of the story, and it’s our responsibility as a Congress to preserve that bipartisan congressional intent from back in 1990, and we must provide that certainty that these individuals deserve.”

GOP objection

Schmitt argued a pathway for citizenship for TPS holders harmed U.S. citizens, such as immigrants holding jobs that he said should go to Americans. 

“There is nothing compassionate about flooding the labor market with more foreign workers while Americans struggle for a decent wage,” Schmitt said.

Many Haitian TPS holders work in the healthcare industry, providing care to thousands of Americans, and contribute $5.9 billion in taxes each year. 

Business leaders have warned about the economic consequences of thousands of workers suddenly pulled out of the labor market. There are roughly 330,000 to 350,000 Haitians with TPS. 

Schmitt added that Americans elected President Donald Trump on the promise of an immigration crackdown, including ending TPS. While on the 2024 presidential campaign trail, Trump vowed to end TPS for Haitians and made false statements that Haitians were eating house pets. 

“There is nothing compassionate about betraying your own citizens,” Schmitt said. “Foreign nationals do not have a right to permanent settlement here. We had an election on this issue.”