TPS and Refugee Resettlement: A Closer Look at the Numbers | Dr. Kedner Maxime

TPS and Refugee Resettlement: A Closer Look at the Numbers

I want to talk to you today about some numbers that came out in recent reporting, because I believe when we look at the facts plainly, side by side, it helps all of us understand what is really happening with immigration policy in this country right now.

What the Reporting Shows

According to reporting by Heba Gowayed, published in The Guardian, in fiscal year 2025-2026, the United States admitted 10,258 people through its refugee resettlement program. Of those, all but three were white South Africans. At the same time, the reporting states that temporary protected status, TPS, has been cancelled for 350,000 Haitians, part of a broader population of 1.3 million TPS holders nationwide now facing the possibility of deportation.

The reporting also states that initial resettlement assistance for refugees, sometimes called Resettlement and Placement or Welcome Money, is being doubled to $4,500 per person. It further states that refugees admitted through this program are eligible for a green card after one year, and for citizenship five years after that, a pathway that TPS holders have never had access to, despite paying taxes into the same system for years.

I am not sharing these numbers to tell you what to think. I am sharing them because I believe every family in District 20, and every family across this country, deserves to know the facts about how our immigration system is treating different groups of people who are all, in their own way, trying to build a safe and stable life.

Why This Matters to Me

I know what it means to hold TPS. I held that status myself, years ago, before I became a citizen of this country. I remember paying to renew it every single year, working, paying taxes, raising my family, and doing everything the right way, the lawful way. I know what it means to build a life here while still waiting, year after year, for a permanent answer about your future.

That is why I believe immigration policy in this country should be applied consistently and fairly, regardless of a person's country of origin. Whether someone is fleeing danger in Haiti, in Venezuela, in Somalia, or anywhere else in the world, the same basic principles of fairness and due process should apply to their case.

Why I'm Running

I am running for Congress because I believe families deserve a representative who will look at the facts honestly and fight for fair, consistent policy, not political convenience. Immigration should not be about where you're from. It should be about the law being applied the same way for everyone. That is the kind of leadership I intend to bring to Washington.

Source and Attribution

Gowayed, Heba. "Trump spends billions to deport Black and brown people. But he wants to double cash aid for white 'refugees.'" The Guardian, September 2, 2026.