Bacon Breaks With GOP in Vote to Stop Deportations of Haitians
by Matt Johnson
(Picture credit Matt Johnson)
OMAHA — Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE-02) joined nine other Republicans Thursday in voting with Democrats to advance a measure to extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians through at least 2029. The bill would apply to roughly 350,000 Haitians currently in the United States and would prevent the Trump administration from ending the immigrants’ legal status and deporting them.
“Removing TPS status for Haitians living in the United States would cost 350,000 workers their ability to work at a time when we’re already facing serious workforce shortages,” Bacon said in a statement. “I’ve heard from healthcare providers and business leaders across Nebraska, including the Greater Omaha Chamber, who are concerned about the impact this would have on patient care and our economy. I don’t see the value in deporting people who are here legally, working, and contributing to our country.”
The bill now advances to the Senate, where it is unlikely to pass—and even less likely to be signed by President Trump.
“There is close to a 0% chance of a Haitian TPS extension being passed into law,” Fox correspondent Bill Melugin posted on Twitter. “It heads to the Senate next, where it will likely die. It may not even get a vote; if it does, it will likely fail. If it ever somehow managed to pass the Senate, President Trump would veto it.”
The legislation was introduced to counter the Trump administration’s termination of Haiti’s TPS designation, which was announced in November 2025 and originally set to take effect on February 3, 2026. A federal judge in Washington, D.C., issued a temporary stay in early February 2026, blocking the termination while litigation continues. The bill that passed the House on Tuesday aims to extend protections amid Haiti’s ongoing gang violence and political instability.
Public attention to Haitian migration surged during the 2024 presidential debate when then-candidate Trump claimed that migrants were “eating the dogs, and eating the cats.” The remark stemmed from social media rumors in Springfield, Ohio—home to a large Haitian immigrant community that arrived under Biden-era programs—alleging that some were stealing and eating pets.
Critics quickly highlighted recent incidents of alleged violence involving Haitian immigrants, including the brutal hammer murder of 51-year-old Nilufa Easmin in Fort Myers, Florida, earlier this month.
“I’ve heard my colleagues talk about Haitians fleeing danger,” Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) posted on Twitter. “You know who else was fleeing danger? An innocent mom in Florida just last week, who was bludgeoned to death with a hammer outside of a store by a Haitian national released into the country by the Biden administration. Enough.”
Bacon defended his vote in responses on Twitter: “They’ve been here legally and are working. Anyone with a criminal record gets deported. They deserve a way to stay here. Kicking them out serves little purpose, and most of these Haitians work in our hospitals and nursing homes. Common sense.”
Bacon announced in 2025 that he would not seek reelection. Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb commented on both his vote and the upcoming race: “Bacon from NE was one of the Republicans to join Dems. Brinker Harding would never vote in a bipartisan way.”
Bacon has occasionally broken with conservatives in Nebraska’s congressional delegation, including on the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Respect for Marriage Act, which codified same-sex marriage protections.
On November 3, 2026, voters in Nebraska’s 2nd District will choose Bacon’s successor. The Republican nominee is expected to be Brinker Harding, while six Democrats are competing in the May 12 primary.
— Matt Johnson is a freelance reporter with The Plains Sentinel.