'Will create a crisis': GOP Rep Mike Lawler breaks with Trump on Haiti deportation protections
BREAKING: The Trump administration scores another major win with the Supreme Court today as it clears the way for the White House to end Temporary Protected Status for hundreds of thousands of migrants from Haiti and Syria.
— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 25, 2026
The decision lifts lower court orders that had blocked… pic.twitter.com/2fYbInIjGr
WASHINGTON, DC: After the Supreme Court allowed President Donald Trump to remove deportation protection from thousands of Haitian and Syrian immigrants, Republican Mike Lawler on Thursday, June 25, called for temporary legal protections for them.
The Republican serving as the US Representative for New York's 17th Congressional District warned that the Supreme Court’s ruling to end protections will “create a crisis.”
Mike Lawler opposes ending Haiti's TPS designation
Mike Lawler urged the administration to allow an orderly process for TPS (Temporary Protected Status) holders because a sudden end will create a crisis.
“I’m asking the administration to allow for an orderly process by which Haitian TPS holders can maintain their work authorization while their immigration cases are adjudicated over the next six months, if the revocation of TPS moves forward,” Lawler wrote on the social platform X.
Mike Lawler said that while he “never disputed” President Trump’s ability to end TPS, he disagreed with ending the Haitian TPS designation.
He said that conditions in Haiti are “a humanitarian and political disaster” and continue to “warrant an extension.”
I have consistently advocated for extending Temporary Protected Status for Haitian nationals. I co-led H.R. 1689 with Rep. Laura Gillen, urged the Administration on multiple occasions to extend TPS protections, led a bipartisan effort with local officials in support of Haitian… pic.twitter.com/LVEeVJAJtC
— Congressman Mike Lawler (@RepMikeLawler) June 25, 2026
He added that the US should want to root out the sources of violence in the island nation to improve conditions.
Mike Lawler cites Haiti community's economic role
Mike Lawler wrote, “Of the 350,000+ lawful Haitian TPS holders, roughly one-third work in our healthcare system. Immediately shutting off TPS will create a crisis in our hospitals, nursing homes, and in the I/DD [intellectual and developmental disabilities] community.”
The New York Republican concluded his post saying that the Senate should pass his bipartisan bill with Rep Laura Gillen (D-NY) to extend TPS for Haitian recipients “to address these issues.”
Lawler’s district is home to one of the largest Haitian communities in the US. In April, he said the district’s Haitian community plays “a critical role in our local economy and the vibrant culture of the Hudson Valley.”
Supreme Court boosts Trump's immigration agenda
The Supreme Court’s ruling, which removes deportation protection for Haitians and Syrians, marked a milestone for President Donald Trump’s effort to reshape US immigration policy.
For months, the Trump administration argued that Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a program designed to offer temporary relief to migrants from countries facing war, natural disasters or extraordinary crises, has drifted far beyond its original purpose.
