Discussion · Senate
Alex Padilla Democrat
“I want Congress to pass the SECURE Act. It gives permanent legal status to immigrants who have temporary protected status. The Trump administration wants to deport over 300,000 Haitians back to a dangerous country. These people work, pay billions in taxes, and raise American children here. We should protect them instead of forcing them out.”
“Mr. President, I am pleased to join my colleagues today in support of Senator Van Hollen’s SECURE Act. Across the country right now, hundreds of thousands of Haitian men, women, and children are terrified. They are terrified for their futures, for their children’s futures. They are terrified about being forced back to a country that is gripped by a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. Nearly 1.5 million Haitians have been displaced by gang violence. Food insecurity is widespread. Basic services have collapsed. It is a country that the State Department--the State Department--warns Americans not to travel to because of the risk of kidnapping, violent crime, and civil unrest. Think about that for a second. The Trump administration itself is warning Americans not to travel to Haiti because of how unsafe it is. Yet the same administration wants to force over 300,000 Haitian nationals--who, until very recently, held temporary protected status--to go there. Now, the President has made it very clear for years what he thinks about immigrants from Haiti. And we received reports in the past few days that the Department of Homeland Security is preparing for a mass roundup and swift deportation of these families in the coming days. So now, thanks to the President’s hostility toward immigrants, TPS holders from countries in turmoil--many of whom have lived in the United States for years, if not decades--are now in danger and at the mercy of this cruel administration. But the fact of the matter is, the American people do not support the President’s goal of kicking these men, women, and children out and forcing them back to a nation steeped in danger and turmoil, because the American people recognize the fundamental fact that TPS holders-- who are legally granted protection in the United States, who registered with the Federal Government, who passed background checks and received authorization to live and to work here--are human beings--human beings that deserve respect and dignity, and we have a moral obligation to help when we can. More than that, most Americans recognize how much TPS holders and immigrants, more broadly, contribute to our country--the economic, social, and cultural benefits they have provided us, as they have worked and lived among us for years, developing strong roots in our communities. Yes, over time, TPS holders become our neighbors, our coworkers, and our friends. The more than 94 percent of TPS holders who participate in the labor force, as of 2017, are nurses and construction workers--vital jobs for the people of the United States and for our economy. They are home health aides, hotel workers, and entrepreneurs. Collectively, they contribute around $29 billion to the U.S. economy every year and pay more than $7.8 billion in Federal, payroll, State, and local taxes annually as well. That is right. They pay nearly $8 billion in taxes every year. If more than 300,000 Haitian workers suddenly drop out of the workforce, the impacts are going to be very real and very sudden. And we can’t forget that many are raising American children, not only as caregivers for other people’s children but as parents to nearly 400,000 U.S. citizen children. And that impact is only magnified when you pull back and consider the more than 1 million people who had TPS as of early 2025 and have been targeted by this administration and its cruel mass detention and mass deportation agenda. So, colleagues, I am going to say something that I don’t say very often: I agree with Governor Mike DeWine, the Republican Governor of Ohio, who has called ending TPS a ``mistake’’ that is going to bring a steep economic toll with it. Temporary protected status exists exactly for moments like this, when countries like Haiti--along with Venezuela, South Sudan, Afghanistan, and others--are experiencing exactly the kind of crisis that Congress had in mind when it created this program on a bipartisan basis. But this administration is choosing to turn its back on the people that this program was meant to help and protect, while hurting our country in the process. So we need to do more to protect people who have built their lives here and who have contributed so much to our country. So I want to thank Senator Van Hollen for trying to pass the SECURE Act. He has my support. I urge all of you to support the SECURE Act as well. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.”
Mr. President, I am pleased to join my colleagues today in support of Senator Van Hollen’s SECURE Act. Across the country right now, hundreds of thousands of Haitian men, women, and children are terrified. They are terrified for their futures, for their children’s futures. They are terrified about being forced back to a country that is gripped by a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. Nearly 1.5 million Haitians have been displaced by gang violence. Food insecurity is widespread. Basic services have collapsed. It is a country that the State Department--the State Department--warns Americans not to travel to because of the risk of kidnapping, violent crime, and civil unrest. Think about that for a second. The Trump administration itself is warning Americans not to travel to Haiti because of how unsafe it is. Yet the same administration wants to force over 300,000 Haitian nationals--who, until very recently, held temporary protected status--to go there. Now, the President has made it very clear for years what he thinks about immigrants from Haiti. And we received reports in the past few days that the Department of Homeland Security is preparing for a mass roundup and swift deportation of these families in the coming days. So now, thanks to the President’s hostility toward immigrants, TPS holders from countries in turmoil--many of whom have lived in the United States for years, if not decades--are now in danger and at the mercy of this cruel administration. But the fact of the matter is, the American people do not support the President’s goal of kicking these men, women, and children out and forcing them back to a nation steeped in danger and turmoil, because the American people recognize the fundamental fact that TPS holders-- who are legally granted protection in the United States, who registered with the Federal Government, who passed background checks and received authorization to live and to work here--are human beings--human beings that deserve respect and dignity, and we have a moral obligation to help when we can. More than that, most Americans recognize how much TPS holders and immigrants, more broadly, contribute to our country--the economic, social, and cultural benefits they have provided us, as they have worked and lived among us for years, developing strong roots in our communities. Yes, over time, TPS holders become our neighbors, our coworkers, and our friends. The more than 94 percent of TPS holders who participate in the labor force, as of 2017, are nurses and construction workers--vital jobs for the people of the United States and for our economy. They are home health aides, hotel workers, and entrepreneurs. Collectively, they contribute around $29 billion to the U.S. economy every year and pay more than $7.8 billion in Federal, payroll, State, and local taxes annually as well. That is right. They pay nearly $8 billion in taxes every year. If more than 300,000 Haitian workers suddenly drop out of the workforce, the impacts are going to be very real and very sudden. And we can’t forget that many are raising American children, not only as caregivers for other people’s children but as parents to nearly 400,000 U.S. citizen children. And that impact is only magnified when you pull back and consider the more than 1 million people who had TPS as of early 2025 and have been targeted by this administration and its cruel mass detention and mass deportation agenda. So, colleagues, I am going to say something that I don’t say very often: I agree with Governor Mike DeWine, the Republican Governor of Ohio, who has called ending TPS a ``mistake’’ that is going to bring a steep economic toll with it. Temporary protected status exists exactly for moments like this, when countries like Haiti--along with Venezuela, South Sudan, Afghanistan, and others--are experiencing exactly the kind of crisis that Congress had in mind when it created this program on a bipartisan basis. But this administration is choosing to turn its back on the people that this program was meant to help and protect, while hurting our country in the process. So we need to do more to protect people who have built their lives here and who have contributed so much to our country. So I want to thank Senator Van Hollen for trying to pass the SECURE Act. He has my support. I urge all of you to support the SECURE Act as well. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.