US House votes to extend temporary protections for Haitians in Trump rebuke

Ten Republicans join Democrats to extend Temporary Protected Status for nearly 350,000 Haitians in the United States.The United States House of Representatives has voted to extend temporary immigration protections for some 350,000 Haitians living in the country, in a break with President Donald Trump.Ten Republicans joined the Democratic majority in Thursday’s vote, which passed by a margin of 224 to 204.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3At least 70 killed, 30 wounded in Haiti gang attack, rights group sayslist 2 of 3Trump administration nixes temporary immigration protections for Haitianslist 3 of 3Trump administration to suspend immigrant visa processing for 75 countriesend of listThe bill would allow Haitians already in the US to keep their Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for three additional years, due to violence and instability in the Caribbean country.The measure will now proceed to the US Senate, where it faces uncertain prospects. If it passed, Trump would almost certainly veto the bill.“This is a monumental victory in a long-fought battle to protect the safety, dignity, and humanity of our Haitian neighbors,” Democratic Representative Ayanna Pressley, the co-chair of the House Haiti Caucus, said in a statement.“Democrats and Republicans alike have come together to support our Haitian neighbors not just because this is good, commonsense policy, but because it is the right, humane thing to do.”The bill advanced on Thursday through a bipartisan discharge petition, a legislative tool that allows lawmakers to bypass the House’s Republican leadership and force a vote.Trump’s oppositionBut the bill’s progress tees up a potential clash with the White House.Trump and his officials have repeatedly attempted to roll back temporary immigration protections on the basis that previous administrations had exceeded their authority in granting extensions.The push comes as part of Trump’s wider effort to restrict immigration into the US.