Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley’s efforts have finally paid off.
After securing enough votes on the discharge petition to force the measure to the floor, the House of Representatives on Thursday, April 16, 2026, passed H.R. 1689, a bill to extend Temporary Protected Status for Haitian nationals for three years, by a vote of 224-204.
The legislation, introduced by Congresswoman Laura Gillen of New York’s 4th Congressional District, now heads to the United States Senate.
A total of 224 members of Congress voted in favor of the bill, including 10 Republicans and one independent, according to the tally displayed on the House floor. However, only seven Republican names appear in the official clerk’s recording on the House website.
Earlier Thursday, the House also adopted Pressley’s bipartisan discharge petition by a separate vote of 220-207, clearing the procedural hurdle that brought the underlying bill to the floor. Pressley had won a key procedural vote on Wednesday and managed debate on the House floor throughout the week.
The Republicans Who Crossed Party Lines
The seven Republicans recorded in the clerk’s tally who voted in favor of the bill are:
Don Bacon — Nebraska, 2nd District
Mario Diaz-Balart— Florida, 26th District
Brian K. Fitzpatrick— Pennsylvania, 1st District
Carlos Antonio Gimenez — Florida, 28th District
Mike Lawler— New York, 17th District
Nicole Malliotakis— New York, 11th District
Maria Elvira Salazar — Florida, 27th District
Kevin Kiley of California’s 3rd District, who recently left the Republican Party and declared himself an independent, citing concerns about gerrymandering, also voted in favor.
“This Is a Monumental Victory”
Pressley, who serves as co-chair of the House Haiti Caucus and represents one of the largest Haitian diaspora communities in the country, issued a statement calling the passage a watershed moment in her years-long advocacy for Haitian communities.
“This is a monumental victory in a long-fought battle to protect the safety, dignity, and humanity of our Haitian neighbors,” Pressley said. “This win would not be possible without the strength and organizing power of the broad, diverse coalition to defend our Haitian siblings — a movement that has seen the humanity in the Haitian parents, workers, caregivers, faith leaders, business owners, and children who contribute so much to our communities daily.”
She addressed the bipartisan nature of the vote directly. “Democrats and Republicans alike have come together to support our Haitian neighbors not just because this is good, commonsense policy, but because it is the right, humane thing to do,” she said.
Pressley then spoke to the Haitian community itself. “To our Haitian neighbors in the Massachusetts 7th and across this country — this is for you. Today, we are closer than ever to getting this over the finish line, and the Senate must pick up this critical priority without delay. The lives of our Haitian families, neighbors, and friends depend on it.”
The discharge petition that made Thursday’s vote possible had reached the required 218-signature threshold on March 28 — only the 15th discharge petition to do so in the last 40 years, as Pressley has noted throughout the process.
Gillen: “The First Bill I Introduced in Congress”
Congresswoman Gillen, who authored H.R. 1689, celebrated the passage as a personal and legislative milestone.
“I’m thrilled that the first bill I introduced in Congress has just passed the House,” Gillen said. “I was proud to lead the bipartisan effort to extend TPS for law-abiding and tax-paying Haitians who would face horrific conditions if forced back to Haiti. Not only would this threaten the lives of our neighbors, it would have a devastating effect on our economy.”
She urged the Senate to act quickly. “The push will go on after this important victory, and I urge the Senate to take up this measure and show the compassion and good sense to protect our Haitian community members,” Gillen said.
Lawler: “No One Should Be Forced to Return”
Congressman Mike Lawler, the New York Republican who co-led the bill with Gillen, explained his decision to break with party leadership in a statement released Thursday.
“I am proud to see the House take an important bipartisan step forward in extending TPS for Haitians,” Lawler said. “The situation in Haiti continues to deteriorate with gang violence rampant, political instability persisting, and the humanitarian crisis deepening by the day. No one should be forced to return to those conditions, determined by the State Department to be unsafe, especially while living in the United States lawfully and working in our communities.”
Lawler pointed to the direct impact on his own constituents. “The Haitian community here at home plays a critical role in our local economy and the vibrant culture of the Hudson Valley. Haitians in my district are healthcare workers, small business owners, and faith leaders. They are an integral part of our community.”
He outlined the steps he had taken to bring the bill to this point. “That is why I worked to introduce this bill, led letters to the Administration about working towards a solution, and ultimately signed a discharge petition to bring this bill to the floor for consideration,” Lawler said.
The Road leading to the Thursday vote
The path to passage was months in the making. In January 2026, Pressley announced the discharge petition and organized a press conference in Washington to highlight the impact of TPS termination on seniors and the U.S. care economy. That same month, she and Senator Ed Markey held a field hearing in Massachusetts, the testimony from which was entered into the Congressional Record.
In February, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., blocked the Trump administration’s move to terminate Haiti’s TPS designation. 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 bill now moves to the Senate, where 60 votes are needed to overcome a filibuster. Securing that threshold would require significant Republican support in a chamber where the party holds a majority.
Thursday’s vote is a significant victory. It is also the beginning of the next fight.
Note to readers: This article was originally written and edited in English by Caribbean Television Network. Versions in other languages, including Haitian Creole and French, Spanish, and Portuguese, are generated using artificial intelligence translation tools.
While every effort is made to ensure accuracy across all versions, only the English version has been fully reviewed and verified. CTN is responsible for all editorial content.
