[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 180 (Monday, November 6, 2017)]
[House]
[Page H8511]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1915
EXTENDING TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS FOR CENTRAL AMERICANS AND HAITIANS

  (Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, the lives of over 300,000 legal 
immigrants are at stake. Central Americans and Haitians, many of whom 
are my constituents, could be facing deportation if their temporary 
protected status, known as TPS, were to end. This vital program, signed 
into law by President George Herbert Walker Bush, has allowed 
individuals fleeing instability and chaos in their home countries to 
legally live and work here in the United States.
  Reports indicate that the administration is considering eliminating 
TPS for these populations, a decision that will have negative 
humanitarian, economic, and national security concerns, and that could 
undermine U.S. investment in the region.
  Mr. Speaker, as a longtime supporter of TPS, I urge the 
administration to continue to extend this program and provide a safe 
haven for Central Americans and Haitians unable to securely return to 
their home countries. My heart aches at the thought of massive 
deportations of good, hardworking people from my hometown.
  Mr. Speaker, TPS beneficiaries are important and integral members of 
our community, and it would be a mistake to turn our backs on them.

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