Subcommittee Ranking Member Jayapal’s Opening Statement at Hearing on Trump’s Assault on Legal Immigration

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, delivered opening remarks at a hearing on President Donald Trump's assault on the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program.

Below are Ranking Member Jayapal's remarks, as prepared for delivery, at today's hearing.

WATCH Subcommittee Ranking Member Jayapal's opening statement.

Ranking Member Pramila Jayapal
Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement
Hearing on "The Impacts of Temporary Protected Status"
December 17, 2025

Mr. Chairman, thank you for holding this hearing on an issue that goes to the core of who we are as a country: Temporary Protected Status (or TPS). This program, established by Congress in 1990, provides people who are already in the United States a safe haven when their home countries are devastated by armed conflict, natural disaster, or other extraordinary conditions. TPS is built on the simple idea that we as a country should not force people back to deadly and life-threatening conditions. This principle has guided both Republican and Democratic administrations for decades.

But today, the Trump Administration is dismantling this long-standing commitment. They are ending TPS for countries where conditions are still extraordinarily dangerous. Countries like Haiti, Venezuela, and South Sudan, all of which the Department of State currently lists under "Level 4: Do Not Travel" advisories, because of the dangerous and unstable conditions there. Let's be honest about what this means. When TPS is terminated for these countries, we are forcing people to return to real and imminent harm. The actions by Secretary Noem will lead to people's deaths. That goes against everything this country is supposed to stand for as well as our own laws. I'm sad to see us go down this path. But I can't say I'm surprised.

This is all part of this administration's mass deportation agenda, which is wreaking havoc on this country. Heavily armed, masked men are terrorizing communities all across America, under the guise of immigration enforcement. They are snatching people of all immigration statuses on the street and refusing to identify themselves.

And even U.S. citizens have not been spared. There are too many reports of U.S. citizens being wrongfully detained, and oftentimes with violent force. Just last week, a U.S. citizen in Minnesota was tackled by a masked agent running full speed. He was put in a chokehold and dragged into the agent's vehicle. Despite repeatedly telling the agents that he was a U.S. citizen and that he had proof of citizenship on his phone, he was held for several hours and driven to a facility miles away, before finally being released and told to walk back in the snow.

This comes as Homeland Security Investigations has said in court filings that the Trump Administration does not consider REAL IDs to be reliable proof of lawful status. I'm not sure how any of us are supposed to feel safe from being kidnapped and disappeared off the streets.

And the Trump Administration's relentless attack on TPS is only making things worse. TPS recipients aren't outsiders in our communities. They live in our neighborhoods, raise their families here, and help keep local economies running. Nearly 600,000 U.S. citizens - including more than 260,000 U.S. citizen children - live in households with TPS recipients.

TPS has also allowed hundreds of thousands of people to work legally, often in industries that are already experiencing severe labor shortages. These are folks working in construction, hospitality, food processing, and manufacturing - the kinds of jobs that keep our economy running and that many businesses are struggling to fill. They pay taxes, support local businesses, and contribute billions of dollars to our economy every single year. In all, TPS holders contribute about $21 billion annually to the U.S. economy, and they pay $5.2 billion in combined federal, payroll, state, and local taxes. They also contribute about $690 million annually to Social Security.

Many TPS holders have lived in the United States for years, often decades-living in 12- to 18-month renewal increments. As such, they are among the most frequently vetted immigrants in the country. They have followed our laws, paid their taxes, and demonstrated their commitment to this country. Instead of stripping them of their legal status and sending them back to dangerous conditions, we should be providing them with a path to long-term stability.

This is why when Democrats were in the majority, we passed H.R. 6, the American Dream and Promise Act on a bipartisan basis in the 116th and 117th Congresses. That legislation would have provided a path to citizenship for individuals who currently had or were eligible for TPS.

The Trump Administration loves to claim that it is only going after criminals and the "worst of the worst." But we know that is a lie. Many of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle used to say they love legal immigration, but have been silent as this administration does everything it can to end legal immigration, including decimating TPS and throwing the lawful status of over a million people into limbo.

We should be working toward an immigration system that is modernized, fair, and in line with the needs of our families and economy. Attacking legal immigration is not just morally wrong, it makes absolutely no sense.

Thank you, and I look forward to hearing from our witnesses. I yield back.

Issues: Immigration