U.S. Representative Andrew Clyde of Georgia has introduced legislation that would dismantle Temporary Protected Status entirely. Clyde’s proposal arrives one week after Congress voted to extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian illegal aliens to shield them from deportation.
Clyde’s Territorial Protection and Sovereignty Act would reform the TPS program and end TPS status for illegal aliens currently in America.
The Georgia Congressman defended the bill by arguing that the TPS program created a loophole for illegal aliens to permanently remain in America.
“Unfortunately, there has never been anything temporary about Temporary Protected Status. TPS has been weaponized and abused for decades, turning a so-called ‘temporary’ protection into permanent amnesty. It’s time for Congress to close this amnesty loophole once and for all by fully repealing TPS and sending all TPS holders out of the country,” Clyde wrote in a statement to the Daily Caller explaining the rationale behind this legislation.
Under Clyde’s bill, illegal aliens currently covered by TPS must leave the United States within 60 days.
Once that 60-day period expires, they would no longer be considered lawfully present, and the government could deport them back to their home country.
The proposal follows a vote in which the House of Representatives passed a bill extending TPS for Haitian migrants on a 224-204 vote.
President Barack Obama first granted Haitians TPS status in January 2010 after a 7.0‑magnitude earthquake devastated the country, killing more than 200,000 people and displacing over a million.
The Department of Homeland Security then extended TPS for Haitian illegal aliens multiple times, in 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2017.
The Biden administration issued a new designation to extend TPS for Haitian illegal aliens in August 2021, citing unrest in Haiti, the assassination of Haiti’s President, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Biden then issued two more TPS extensions, allowing Haitian illegal aliens to remain in America through August 2024 and then through February 2026.
Clyde maintained the constant TPS extensions, prioritized the needs of illegal aliens over Americans, which is why he introduced his legislation to close TPS loopholes that allowed illegal aliens to become permanent residents of the United States.
“Proponents of TPS claim the designation is both compassionate and essential to our economy. In reality, America is not a charity or an international economic zone. Our entire focus must be on the safety, prosperity, and futures of American citizens, which is why shutting down America Last immigration policies like TPS is critically important,” Clyde told the Daily Caller.
