By Sam Barron | Friday, 17 April 2026 08:34 PM EDT
Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., defended his vote to extend temporary protected status for Haitians during an interview with Rob Schmitt on Friday.
Kiley joined six Republicans and 212 Democrats in voting for legislation that would reinstate TPS for 350,000 Haitians living in the United States, despite opposition from President Donald Trump. The bill advanced after a discharge petition filed by Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass.
“There is no doubt that our TPS system is totally broken,” Kiley told Rob Schmitt. “It’s a total mess. It’s never temporary.”
“And Biden made it into a total disaster,” Kiley added. “It’s totally reckless, totally irresponsible. I certainly understand why people want that to be undone.”
Kiley said that even if TPS were revoked for Haitians, they would not leave the country.
“They’re not going to go back, because there’s a decent chance they’d be kidnapped or raped or murdered,” Kiley explained. “So then you say we can deport them.”
“Well, that is going to be tied up in court, perhaps for years,” Kiley said. “But even if we tried to do that, there’s just no way we could deport them in any significant number. Biden brought in too many.”
“There’s 350,000 now. So, the way I see it, if you simply revoke TPS in one fell swoop, all you’ve done is create 350,000 new illegal immigrants overnight,” Kiley continued.
The lawmaker noted that revocation would make Haitians a greater drain on public welfare systems since they wouldn’t be legally permitted to work.
“They’re not going to go voluntarily because they fear what’s going to happen if they return,” Kiley said. “But if we wanted to undertake a massive deportation program for them, it’d be a very small percentage that you’d actually be able to deport.”
Kiley also pointed out that U.S. immigration authorities typically deport about 350,000 people annually.
“The TPS system is so broken and needs to be dramatically overhauled,” Kiley said. “The way that Joe Biden did it made no sense at all.”
“They were invited by the Biden administration and they came on aircraft, they had sponsors,” he added.
“Once they came, they had this promise, you’re going to suddenly be given legal status,” Kiley stated. “Joe Biden created this mess.”
“People are tired of politicians who try to make it look like they’re doing something as opposed to actually doing something.”
