Senate

GOP Sen. Katie Britt: House-passed bill to extend Haitian refugee status DOA in Senate

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by Alexander Bolton - 04/17/26 12:43 PM ET

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by Alexander Bolton - 04/17/26 12:43 PM ET

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Sen. Katie Britt (Ala.), the chair of the Senate Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee and a leading GOP voice on immigration issues, says a House-passed bill to extend legal protections for Haitian refugees is “dead on arrival” in the Senate.

Britt offered a stinging rebuke to 10 moderate House Republicans who voted with Democrats Thursday to defy Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and pass a bill extending temporary protected status for Haitian migrants through 2029.

“This is dead on arrival in the Senate,” Britt posted on social platform X in response to Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), who celebrated passage of the bill after leading a discharge petition to force it to the House floor.

Britt argued that temporary protected status isn’t supposed to last for years and that many of the Haitian migrants facing deportation entered the country illegally.

“Temporary Protected Status is just that: temporary. Beyond that, 91 percent of all Haitian TPS holders entered the country illegally,” Britt wrote. “In the last election, the American people rejected mass migration policies that effectively grant amnesty to illegal aliens. It’s past time to put our own citizens FIRST.”

The House voted 224-204 to pass the legislation Thursday after 10 Republicans joined Democrats in voting yes.

Those Republicans were Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), Mike Lawler (N.Y.), Don Bacon (Neb.), Maria Elvira Salazar (Fla.), Carlos Gimenez (Fla.), Nicole Malliotakis (N.Y.), Rich McCormick (Ga.), Mike Turner (Ohio), Mike Carey (Ohio) and Mario Diaz-Balart (Fla.).

Rep. Kevin Kiley (Calif.), an independent who caucuses with Republicans, also voted for it.

Temporary protected status is granted by the Department of Homeland Security to refugees from counties facing crises such as ongoing armed conflicts, natural disasters or other hardships.

Former Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced the termination of the status for Haitian migrants in June.

The decision affects more than 350,000 Haitians who have been allowed to live and work legally in the United States.

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