U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler, a fellow Republican, urged the Trump administration to reverse its decision. Lawler's 17th District includes Spring Valley, home to the second-largest Haitian diaspora, per capita, in the U.S.

While the ban applies to Haitian nationals, some Haitian Americans are speaking out about its broader implications.

Even before President Donald Trump told Haitians this week they will no longer be welcome in the United States, travel from the crisis-wracked Caribbean nation was already difficult. It's been restricted by deadly gang violence,