Massachusetts Democratic U.S. Representative Ayanna Pressley speaks at a press conference in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC on April 15, 2026. From left to right directly behind her are House Minority Leader Katherine Clark, New York Democratic Rep. Laura Gillen, Republican Mike Lawler and Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Yvette Clarke. (Photo by Shauneen Miranda/States Newsroom)
WASHINGTON – The U.S. House of Representatives passed a measure Thursday that would extend Haiti’s momentary protected status for three years, a occasional rebuke from the Republican-led Congress to President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign.
Ten Republicans defected, including Reps. Maria Salazar, Mario Díaz-Balart and Carlos Giménez of Florida, Rich McCormick of Georgia, Don Bacon of Nebraska, Mike Lawler and Nicole Malliotakis of New York, Mike Turner and Mike Carey of Ohio, and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania.
Rep. Kevin Kiley, a California independent who aligns with the Republican Party, also voted for the bill.
The bill that succeeded 224-204came as Trump’s administration sought to strip legal protections for immigrants with Temporary Protected Status (TPS), including Haitian nationals, while cracking down on immigrants without legal status.
The bill now heads to the Republican-led Senate, and if that chamber passes the measure, Trump would almost certainly veto it.
Dismissal application
The Democratic-led initiative came up as part of a dismissal motion that allows a bill to bypass Republican leadership and be introduced to the House once it receives the signatures of a majority of House members.
U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley — a Massachusetts Democrat and co-chair of the House Haiti Caucus — presented the petition in January and reached the threshold of 218 signatures at the end of March.
Pressley’s petition forced a Vote on a bill by New York Democratic Rep. Laura Gillen. The version adopted by the House of Representatives calls for the Secretary of Homeland Security to designate Haiti for TPS by April 2029.
Lawler, a New York Republican, was an original co-sponsor of Gillen’s measure.
Lawler, Salazar, Fitzpatrick and Bacon also signed Pressley’s dismissal request.
The passage of the bill in the House of Representatives came just days before US Supreme Court will hear arguments about Trump’s efforts to repeal TPS for 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians.
A federal judge in February the termination is blocked that the TPS for Haiti goes into effect – just before the designation was due to end.
TPS is provided by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for nationals who cannot safely return home. Protection from deportation allows individuals to work legally in the United States, with renewal cycles ranging from six to 18 months.
“A death sentence”
“Let’s be clear about what deportation would mean — we would be sending parents back into harm’s way, our seniors away from their caregivers, faith leaders back into instability and essential workers back into insecurity,” Pressley said Wednesday at a news conference she and Gillen held with colleagues and advocates about the effort.
“Deporting anyone to a country grappling with complex political, humanitarian and economic crises is unreasonable, dangerous and avoidable,” Pressley added.
“Deporting someone to Haiti now is illegal and would be tantamount to a death sentence.”
