Still Undecided? Compare the 2026 Candidates Running to Represent Florida’s Congressional District 24

IMMIGRATION AND TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS (TPS)

QUESTION: District 24 boasts a large immigrant population, including an enormous Haitian community that is reeling from the Trump Administration’s recent decision to revoke their Temporary Protected Status (TPS). Many residents believe there is a better way to address immigration issues. What is your stance on immigration reform and what steps have you taken to support the numerous immigrants on your district?

Te Mayonna Brown: “I believe we can have a secure border and a compassionate immigration system. Those two principles can co-exist. What disappoints me most is that Congress has had years to address this issue and has repeatedly failed to deliver a permanent legislative solution for people living under Temporary Protected Status. Instead of solving the problem, Washington has allowed families to live in uncertainty year after year. The Haitian community is an important part of District 24. Many TPS recipients have lived here for years, worked, paid taxes, raised families, and contributed to our economy. They deserve clarity, not endless uncertainty. I believe Congress must finally do its job. We need to secure our border, enforce our immigration laws, and fix our legal immigration system. At the same time, we should pursue a legislative solution for long-term TPS recipients so they are no longer forced to depend on government, temporary extensions or changing administrations. That’s one of the reasons I’m running for Congress. I don’t believe in keeping people dependent on temporary government actions. I believe in creating permanent, lawful solutions that provide certainty, strengthen our communities, and restore accountability in Washington.”

Marshall Davis: “District 24 is a dynamic, multicultural, diverse district. Knowing that the Haitian community is vital to the heart, culture, and economic soul of South Florida, every effort will be made to protect the safety, well being and development of the Haitian as well as Venezuelan communities, and actually all nationalities affected by TPS in the district. All make a significant economic impact and deserve the right to be treated with dignity, respect and warrant the proper support to become residents or permanent citizens.  Temporary Protected Status (TPS) as a policy should be coupled with creating pathways to citizenship. To protect these designations, there should be a priority to provide access to educational resources and alternative legal pathways to remain in the country; such as employer-sponsored visas, family sponsored petitions, or adjustment of status options — before their current work authorizations expire. If I am elected, I would advocate to explore all of these legal means and their files would be audited to ensure measures are taken from a proactive position as opposed to times of crisis. Reuniting families, issuing work visas, developing asylum and refugee programs, and facilitating border control that is conducted in a dignified and humane manner, are all means to support those individuals that make valuable contributions to the economy and to our nation. There should also be support services for those that would like to travel to their respective homelands, to see their families and experience environments immersed in their respective cultures. To do so, Constituent services would be provided to streamline travel authorization by dedicating multilingual caseworkers to administer processes that ensure a safe return, expedite emergency cases and provide empowering information by knowing their rights. To eliminate fear and implement legislation that delineates TPS Protective Travel rights, a vital component would be to work in unison with the Department of Homeland Security to eliminate delays. For individuals currently living in the country without legal or permanent authorization, working with relevant agencies, or opening centers designated as “safe places” would be key. While in these safe spaces, constituents would be assisted with adequate resources to apply for TPS. Again, a caveat for TPS would also be to create pathways to citizenship that are attainable, timely and efficient.”

Oliver Gilbert: “Revoking TPS for our Haitian neighbors is cruelty dressed up as policy. Haitian families in this district have lived here, worked here, paid taxes here, and raised their children here for years. They shouldn’t have the ground pulled out from under them by a decision made for cruelty’s sake. What those families deserve isn’t a countdown clock. It’s a real pathway to full citizenship. Here’s my stance, plainly. End the enforcement-only approach that rules by fear, and open an earned path to citizenship for the people already making this country stronger. In a district like ours, the undocumented and the temporarily protected aren’t strangers. They’re our neighbors, our co-workers, our family. In Congress, I’ll co-sponsor and vote for the American Dream and Promise Act, to create a direct path to permanent residency and citizenship for Dreamers and long-term TPS holders, including Haitians. I’ll fight to extend and protect TPS designations against politically motivated terminations. I’ll fight to clear the processing backlogs that leave families in limbo for years. And I’ll fight to end the ICE raids that are tearing our communities apart and leaving young children behind to fend for themselves. It’s time to end funding for these shameful deportation policies and redirect that investment where it belongs: into our communities. As a local official, I’ve governed alongside and stood with the Haitian and Caribbean communities of this district for nearly two decades. In Washington, they’ll have a congressman who doesn’t need a briefing to know who they are.”

Shevrin Jones: “District 24 is home to one of the largest Haitian communities in the country, and the decision to revoke Temporary Protected Status was cruel, destabilizing, and wrong. These are our neighbors, co-workers, nurses, and small-business owners, people who built their lives here lawfully. I have not waited for Washington to act. I wrote directly to Florida’s United States Senators, Rick Scott and Ashley Moody, urging them to stand up for Temporary Protected Status holders, and I have spoken publicly for the families this decision throws into chaos. In Tallahassee, I have stood against the state’s harshest anti-immigrant measures and defended the right of every eligible citizen to vote and be counted. My stance on reform is simple: our immigration system should be rooted in dignity, due process, and family unity, not fear and mass detention. In Congress, I will fight for a legislative solution that gives our Haitian neighbors real, lasting protection and a path forward, and for broader reform that pairs an earned pathway for long-settled immigrants with a legal immigration system that actually works. I will use every tool of the office, letters, hearings, and votes to demand Washington treat these families like the neighbors and workers they are.”

Kendrick Meek Jr.: “District 24 is defined by its vibrant, diverse immigrant communities, and the Trump Administration’s cruel and erratic approach to TPS is tearing families apart. The decision to revoke TPS for hundreds of thousands of our Haitian neighbors is a moral and humanitarian failure. These residents are deeply woven into the fabric of South Florida—they are our business owners, our healthcare workers, our homeowners, and our friends. My commitment to immigration advocacy is personal and professional. I am proud to have hosted a recent community roundtable in Little Haiti with local Haitian stakeholders to coordinate a direct response to these immediate threats. I invited and brought Congressman Steven Horsford, a member of Hakeem Jeffries’ leadership team and a former Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus to hear these concerns directly and take those concerns to the House Democratic leadership. My career began with a focus on human and civil rights, and I have consistently used my platform to voice that immigrant rights are human rights. My stance on immigration reform is unequivocal, and I will champion these actions in Congress:
Immediate Restoration of TPS: I will fight for an immediate, long-term extension of TPS for Haitian, Venezuelan, and other vulnerable communities. I will co-sponsor legislation to prevent any presidential administration from unilaterally stripping these protections away from families who have built their lives here. A Clear, Permanent Pathway to Legal Residency: Temporary statuses are a band-aid, not a solution. I will advocate for a comprehensive legislative pathway that allows long-term TPS holders, Dreamers and others to adjust their status to permanent legal residency and, ultimately, citizenship. As far as I am concerned, they are already Americans, and they have earned the right to stay. Systemic Overhaul of Immigration Enforcement: I will support a complete restructuring of immigration enforcement, moving away from private detention centers and aggressive deportations, and moving toward humanitarian, community-based processing that treats families with dignity and respect. Protecting Black and Brown immigrants was my grandmother’s highest priority in Congress. Her relentless commitment to fixing our broken immigration system was instilled in me at an early age. This issue will be of the highest priority to me personally and professionally.”

Jean Monestime: “Here are some of the steps I would take: a) In the short-term, we must continue to push for a Deferred Enforcement Departure, while we simultaneously lobby for the passage of Senate Bill 4814; A long-term solution is to create, advocate and sponsor a path to citizenship for all immigrants currently living in the country, including DACA and TPS recipients; serious felons excluded.”