A vulnerable House Republican faced a tense exchange with Fox News hosts after defending his vote to join Democrats in extending deportation protections for Haitian migrants, highlighting divisions within the GOP over immigration policy.
The confrontation followed a recent House vote in which a small group of Republicans broke with party leadership to support legislation extending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian nationals — a program shielding roughly 300,000 to 350,000 people from deportation.
Tensions came to a head on “The Big Weekend Show” when co-hosts Joey Jones and Tomi Lahren pressed Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) on H.R. 1689, a bill requiring Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to designate Haiti for Temporary Protected Status. They specifically questioned whether his vote amounted to backing broader immigration protections.
As Mediaite reports, Lawler, who cosponsored the legislation, pushed back, saying his position had been mischaracterized:
Jones began by asking Lawler if he sees the irony that the congressman’s talking points are “used by Democrats to attack the Trump administration” and challenged him on “the righteousness of your argument,” which he argued doesn’t align with President Donald Trump’s mandate on immigration.
Lawler fired back: “So, the bottom line is two things can be true at the same time. The Biden administration’s policies were an absolute disaster, and our immigration system is fundamentally broken. I have always said I’m against illegal immigration. I’ve always said I want secure borders, I want people to come here legally and lawfully. TPS is intended to be temporary, primarily related to humanitarian relief, and in the case of Haiti, it has been significant.”
Co-host Tomi Lahren then jumped in, asking, “Congressman, I just want to interrupt you a little bit. Congressman, I understand what you’re saying here, but correct me if I’m wrong. It sort of sounds like were saying we must keep the world’s people protected in this country until the world’s problems are solved, or until we go and solve the problems of other countries.
“That’s not what I said, that’s not what I said,” Lawler repeated, adding that Haiti is “a longtime ally” and “we want stability on the ground in Haiti.”
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As Lawler tried to finish his point, Jones interjected to wrap up the segment.
“Fair enough. You voted to extend it. 200-plus of your colleagues voted not to — there’s a disagreement within the Republican Party. I just want to say thank you for coming on. It’s not an easy issue to fix. It’s not something that we will fix in the segment, but please continue to come on even when we disagree with you because that’s what conversation is and we don’t get enough of it. Congressman Mike Lawler, thank you for joining us,” Jones said.
After the interview ended, Jones kept talking, suggesting Lawler might still be listening.
“I would imagine the congressman is still listening, but I want to filibuster and I didn’t need him to react to this,” he said.
He then went a step further, arguing that Lawler’s remarks mirrored arguments frequently made by Democrats.
“Everything he just said is the exact arguments Democrats use against mass deportation in the Trump policy for deporting people and how the Trump administration has been doing it. He may agree with that statement — he may not — but I can roll the tape and put it out there, every one of those arguments he laid out is exact same argument people are using against mass deportation in general,” Jones continued.
Lahren agreed, expressing frustration with similar arguments being used across party lines.
“Yeah, you’re exactly right, that’s what’s frustrating for me, is that Democrats tell us we must have migrants or illegal aliens working in XYZ sector, otherwise those sectors will fail — there’s no way Americans will do those jobs. We hear it over and over again we mostly hear from the left. To me is disappointing to hear from the right. I understand the unique position and I respect him for coming on. I know it’s not easy, but for me, the answers did not make me feel better,” she said.
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Yep, Lawler should follow hochul right out the door. We can get rid of these ANTI-patriots in our government quick enough.
Vote the RINO’S out