The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday adopted Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley’s bipartisan discharge petition to extend Temporary Protected Status for Haitian nationals by a vote of 224-204, clearing a critical procedural hurdle and setting the stage for a final passage vote on the underlying bill Thursday afternoon.
The vote marks a significant victory for Pressley, who has led the legislative fight to protect more than 350,000 Haitian TPS holders from deportation. If the bill passes the Senate it would require the Department of Homeland Security to extend Haiti’s TPS designation for three years, through April 2029.
“I am immensely grateful to the members who supported my discharge petition on both sides of the aisle,” Pressley said during floor debate on Wednesday. She credited “the broad, intergenerational and multiracial coalition of justice-seekers throughout the country who power this movement” as well as her staff for driving the effort forward.
The underlying bill was introduced by Congresswoman Laura Gillen of New York’s 4th Congressional District. Pressley, who serves as co-chair of the House Haiti Caucus and represents one of the largest Haitian diaspora communities in the country, managed the floor debate on the discharge petition and won a key procedural vote on Tuesday before Wednesday’s successful adoption.
A Rare Legislative Maneuver
The discharge petition — one of only five to succeed in the current Congress — bypassed House leadership and Speaker Mike Johnson to force the measure directly to the floor. The petition had reached the required 218-signature threshold on March 28 with bipartisan support, including signatures from Republican Representatives Maria Elvira Salazar, Brian Fitzpatrick, Mike Lawler, and Don Bacon. Democratic Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez was the 218th and final signatory.
Pressley has repeatedly noted the historical rarity of the achievement. In a recent interview with WCVB in Boston, she said: “In 40 years there have only been 15 discharge petitions to reach that 218 threshold. And mine is one of those 15.”
On Tuesday, Pressley and Gillen held a press conference alongside colleagues and advocates calling for passage of the measure. Gillen praised the bipartisan nature of the effort, saying: “This is one of only five successful discharge petitions this Congress, which shows how important and rare this bipartisan issue is. It affects districts across the country, red and blue.”
House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark of Massachusetts also joined the press conference, underscoring the breadth of support behind the measure.
What Is at Stake
Without an extension, more than 350,000 Haitian nationals currently protected by TPS would face the risk of deportation to a country gripped by political instability, widespread gang violence, and a deepening humanitarian crisis. The U.S. government currently advises against all travel to Haiti due to security conditions.
Pressley has framed the issue in both humanitarian and economic terms. During her floor remarks, she described receiving a message from a Haitian TPS holder who wrote simply: “Please help.”
“Today, Congress has the ability to do just that — for Rebeca in Massachusetts, for the teacher in Ohio, for the entrepreneur in Florida, and the more than 350,000 Haitian TPS holders whose lives hang in the balance,” Pressley said on the House floor.
She has previously pointed to the critical role Haitian TPS holders play in the American workforce, particularly in health care, construction, and hospitality. Advocates have noted that over 20 percent of Haitian nationals in the United States work in the health care sector, and immigrants comprise one in four long-term care workers nationally.
Pressley acknowledged the coalition that powered the effort, citing support from labor unions including SEIU, business groups such as the American Business Immigration Coalition, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Black Lives Matter Grassroots, and other civil rights and faith-based organizations.
A Fight on Multiple Fronts
The legislative push comes alongside an active legal battle over Haitian TPS. The Trump administration moved to terminate Haiti’s TPS designation in 2025. A federal judge in Washington, D.C., blocked the termination in February 2026, and the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the ruling in March. The administration has since appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
This week, Pressley joined Representatives Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Senators Ed Markey and Chris Van Hollen in leading 26 senators and 157 representatives in filing an amicus brief in the Supreme Court case Miot v. Trump, a consolidated challenge to the administration’s termination of TPS for Haiti and Syria.
The dual-track approach — legislation in Congress and litigation in the courts — reflects the urgency of the issue. Even if the courts ultimately uphold the administration’s termination, passage of the bill would provide an independent statutory basis for extending TPS protections.
“The success of this discharge petition is a testament to our collective organizing and the strength of our broad, diverse movement to affirm the humanity, dignity, and safety of our Haitian siblings,” Pressley said when the petition first reached 218 signatures last month. Wednesday’s vote made that organizing count.
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