SAN DIEGO, CMC – The California-based Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA) has applauded Democratic Congresswoman, Ayanna Pressley, for her “continued leadership” in championing Temporary Protected Status (TPS) extension for Haitian nationals and filing a discharge petition that could compel the US House of Representatives to take up legislation to extend TPS for more than 300,000 Haitians living in the United States.
Pressley, on January 22, this year, moved “to discharge the Committee on Rules from the consideration of the resolution entitled, a resolution providing for consideration of the bill to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to designate Haiti for temporary protected status, which was referred to said committee on December 18, 2025.”
HBA also thanked the 155 members of Congress, including Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, for signing the petition.
“We urge the 63 additional members of Congress to swiftly sign on to reach the 218 votes needed to proceed with this legislative process,” HBA executive director Guerline Jozef told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC).
“The discharge petition — filed in the US House — represents a mechanism that would bring the bill directly to the floor for a vote if the requisite number of signatures is gathered,” she added, stating that “TPS provides critical legal protections that allow individuals from countries experiencing ongoing armed conflict, environmental disasters, or extraordinary insecurity to remain in the United States and work legally without fear of deportation.
“Given the protracted humanitarian and security crisis in Haiti, sustained TPS designation is essential to protecting families who have contributed to American communities for years.
“Haitian Bridge Alliance strongly commends Representative Pressley for her leadership in pursuing every viable legislative route, including the discharge petition, to ensure that Haitian TPS holders are not left in legal limbo and deported to a country that is facing one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.”
Jozef said thousands of Haitian families are “vital contributors to local economies, schools, churches, and communities across the United States.
“We urge members of Congress to stand with them, to sign on to the discharge petition, and to demonstrate through action that the United States values the dignity, safety, and economic contributions of Haitian TPS holders,” she said.
On February 17, New York Attorney General Letitia James co-led a coalition of 17 other attorneys general in defending the legal status of hundreds of thousands of Haitian immigrants, including many who have lived and worked in the United States for over a decade.
James said the coalition filed an amicus brief with the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in support of a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for attempting to terminate TPS for more than 350,000 Haitians.
James and the coalition argue that terminating TPS for Haitians would jeopardize the safety, health, and economy of communities throughout the country, and upend the lives of families who have been living and working in the United States for years.
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