The House of Representatives approved today the extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian citizens, dealing a setback to the Donald Trump administration, which eliminated the program under which 350,000 Haitians legally reside in the United States. The proposal, presented by Democratic Representative from Massachusetts Ayanna Pressley, co-chair of the House Haiti Caucus, passed thanks to the support of 10 Republicans who joined the votes of all Democrats and one independent. The legislation received 224 votes in favor and 204 against.
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“Both Democrats and Republicans have come together to support our Haitian neighbors, not only because it is sensible and sound policy, but because it is the right and humane thing to do,” said Pressley.
The White House has warned that Trump would veto the bill if it reached his desk. The measure still needs to be approved in the Senate, where its success is uncertain. “The Administration understands that, at times, members must vote based on the interests of their districts. This terrible bill will go nowhere and a veto threat has been issued,” a White House official said on Thursday, according to NBC. “The Administration focuses on enforcing federal immigration laws and putting American citizens first.”
The bipartisan approval of the measure is significant because it opposes one of the pillars of the Trump administration’s immigration policy, which involves eliminating legal permits for hundreds of thousands of migrants to proceed with their deportation. The Republican also canceled TPS for citizens of Venezuela, Honduras, Nicaragua, Nepal, Afghanistan, Syria, and Cameroon.
The legislation extends the residence permit for Haitians benefiting from TPS for three more years. On Wednesday, Pressley pushed a parliamentary procedure supported by six Republican lawmakers that allowed the vote in the House. Democrats used a discharge petition, once a rare tool but now increasingly used to form bipartisan coalitions and overcome the Republican majority in the House. The process forces the bill to go to the full House for consideration, bypassing the Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson.
Four Republicans — Representatives Maria Elvira Salazar of Florida, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Mike Lawler of New York, and Don Bacon of Nebraska — joined all Democrats to support the petition. In the vote, the initiative also received support from Representatives Nicole Malliotakis of New York, Carlos Giménez of Florida, and Kevin Kiley of California, allowing the bill to advance to the full House. Last year, the legislation was first introduced by New York representatives, Democrat Laura Gillen and Republican Mike Lawler.
“One in four of our long-term care workers is Haitian, and one in five of our health workers is Haitian,” Pressley said in a speech before the vote. “The care crisis affects families across the United States. Our seniors need care to age with dignity and in community. It is the Haitians benefiting from TPS who disproportionately serve as caregivers and home health aides and who, during the pandemic, risked their lives to care for the sick and the grieving,” she said.
Temporary Protected Status allows foreign nationals from countries facing wars, environmental disasters, or other unsafe conditions to live and work in the United States for a specified period.
Protections for Haitians were first granted in 2010 after a devastating earthquake displaced over a million people. These protections have been extended multiple times due to the ongoing violence in the country. Instability increased after the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021. Criminal gangs currently control 90% of Port-au-Prince, the capital, and most of the country.
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The Trump administration attempted to end TPS last summer, but a federal judge halted the measure. The government appealed the judge’s decision. In the coming days, the Supreme Court will hold a hearing to examine a fast-track case that could end the protected status of Haitian and Syrian immigrants.
A recent report from the International Rescue Committee (IRC) revealed the dramatic situation in Haiti, which faces one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, and the risks to which the civilian population is exposed. Seventy-three percent of households report feeling unsafe where they sleep, and most displaced families take refuge in unsafe and overcrowded conditions. Only 5.5% said they live in their own homes.
Sixty percent of households do not have their children enrolled in school, driven by parents’ fear of kidnappings, being caught in crossfire between gangs and security forces, and forced recruitment, which surged 200% in 2025. Children already make up half of all gang members. Additionally, 75% of households cannot afford health services, increasing deaths from treatable conditions.
According to the IRC, conditions threaten to worsen further as the indefinite postponement of elections sharpens political instability and the UN-backed gang suppression force begins deployment, expected to cause increased clashes between these groups and security forces, potentially generating even higher levels of displacement and food insecurity.
The elimination of TPS is part of the White House’s efforts to fulfill Trump’s campaign promise to carry out the largest deportation operation in history. Trump has falsely accused Haitian migrants in Ohio of eating their neighbors’ cats and dogs.
“These are Haitian immigrants who work, pay taxes, contribute to our economy, and fill a healthcare need. Stripping them of their status and deporting them to a dangerous country would be a heartless and misguided move,” said Malliotakis, who stated that her office has received communications from nursing homes in her New York district “that will lose qualified and dedicated nursing staff if TPS is not renewed.”
The vote takes place less than a week after Trump posted an explicit video showing a man attacking a woman with a hammer at a gas station. The Department of Homeland Security stated that the attacker is an undocumented immigrant from Haiti.
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