The San Diego, CA-based Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA) and Caribbean-American Democratic U.S. Rep. Yvette D. Clarke on Thursday, April 16, welcomed an historic bipartisan action by the United States House of Representatives in advancing legislation to protect Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian nationals living in the U.S.
The House of Representatives voted 224-204 to pass the measure that would safeguard the lives and futures of more than 350,000 Haitians living in the US.
“This critical milestone follows months of tireless advocacy and coalition-building led by community organizations, including HBA,” HBA Executive Director Guerline
Jozef told Caribbean Life, thanking Massachusetts U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley for her “steadfast leadership, strategic vision, and unwavering commitment to justice.
“Her leadership in advancing a discharge petition to force a vote on this issue was instrumental in bringing this legislation to the House floor and mobilizing bipartisan support,” added Jozef, also expressing gratitude to “all the 224 members” of the U.S. Congress for “standing on the right side of this historic victory.
“This is what people-powered advocacy looks like,” she continued, stating that, for months, HBA and other community organizations, immigrant advocacy groups and “countless partners have been working around the clock — centering the voices and realities of impacted members, organizing, advocating, and building bridges across communities and political lines — to ensure that Haitian TPS holders are protected.
“Today’s progress is a testament to the strength of our collective voice,” Jozef said. “We are deeply grateful to U.S. Rep. Pressley for her fierce, unwavering leadership and all members of Congress who stood on the right side of history.”
But she said, while Thursday’s vote is “not the finish line, it is a powerful step forward to bring protection for over 350,000 Haitian TPS holders and their loved ones.”
As the legislation moves to the United States Senate, Jozef said HBA urges “continued bipartisan cooperation to ensure swift passage.
“The stakes remain high: Without TPS protections, hundreds of thousands of Haitian families face the risk of deportation to a country experiencing profound political instability, violence, and humanitarian crisis,” she said.
“In the meantime, HBA will continue with its robust advocacy efforts until this becomes law,” Jozef added.
Clarke, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, who serves as co-chair of the Haiti Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives, told Caribbean Life that Thursday’s historic vote “brings us closer than ever to extending TPS to Haitian nationals for three years–sending a powerful message and long-overdue victory for Haitian families and communities across this nation.
“I commend my fellow Haiti Caucus Co-Chair, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, and Rep. Laura Gillen for their unwavering leadership in securing this critical step forward, and for advancing essential legislation that would save lives, keep families together, and ensure the promise America has made to our Haitian neighbors is not broken,” said Clarke, representative for the predominantly Caribbean 9th Congressional District in Brooklyn, New York.
“We can never turn a blind eye to the contributions Haitians make to our communities, nor shy away from the tragic consequences if they are taken from them,” added the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. “As co-chair of the House Haiti Caucus, I have long stood alongside advocates and community leaders in the fight to protect Haitians from cruel and inhumane immigration policies, xenophobic ideologies, and deportation tactics–forcing individuals to return to conditions that remain dangerous and unstable.
“This vote was a matter of morality and humanity,” Clarke continued. “Its outcome represents a remarkable bipartisan achievement that demonstrated exactly what progress is possible when both sides of the aisle work together for a common goal.
“Now, the Senate must act with the same urgency to pass this common-sense legislation, and stand up for our Haitian brothers and sisters at this most pivotal moment,” she urged.
Ahead of Thursday’s vote, Amy Fischer, director for refugee and migrant rights at Amnesty International USA, the international human rights watchdog, said: “Congress must act now to pass HR 1689 to require that DHS (Department of Homeland Security) designate TPS for Haitians in the United States until 2029.
“For hundreds of thousands of people, this protection is a lifeline that will shield them from being forced back into conditions that are unsafe, unstable, and potentially life-threatening,” she said. “Timing is of the essence; Haiti is not safe for anyone. More than 8,100 killings were documented nationwide between January and November 2025.”
Fischer said Amnesty International has documented how children in Haiti, including those with disabilities, are being subjected to “a litany of human rights abuses”, including recruitment into gangs, rape and other forms of sexual violence, abductions, killings and injuries.
She described as “short-sighted and cruel” the Trump administration’s decision last June to end TPS for Haitians.
“If not for the ongoing litigation on the matter, hundreds of thousands of people might already have faced devastating consequences,” Fischer said. “TPS holders are our neighbors, coworkers, and community members. They have built their lives here — working, raising families, and contributing to their communities — while seeking safety from harm.
“Designating Haiti for TPS is a matter of human rights,” she added. “With this vote, members of the House of Representatives can move on from President Trump’s racist, anti-immigrant practices and policies and uphold protection by ensuring that Haitian people in the United States have an opportunity to live in safety and stability.”
On Monday, New York Attorney General Letitia James co-led a coalition of 18 other attorneys general in the United States in filing an amicus brief with the US Supreme Court, urging the court to uphold the legal status of hundreds of thousands of immigrants from Haiti and Syria who have been living in the United States for years.
An amicus brief, or “friend-of-the-court” brief, is a legal document submitted to an appellate court by non-parties — individuals, organizations, or government entities — who have a strong interest in a case.
These briefs provide specialized information, legal arguments, or perspectives that the main litigants may not have presented, with the aim of guiding the court’s decision.
Attorney General James and the coalition argue that the Trump administration’s “unlawful attempt” to cancel TPS for Haitian and Syrian immigrants threatens the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of families throughout the country, disrupting states’ economies and jeopardizing the futures of immigrants’ US citizen children.
James told Caribbean Life that the coalition is urging the Supreme Court to uphold lower court decisions that have postponed the termination of TPS for Haiti and Syria.
“For generations, we have welcomed those fleeing danger in their home countries to build a safe and prosperous life in the United States,” she said. “Immigrants with TPS hold valuable roles in our communities as business owners, workers, teachers, and parents. We will continue to stand against the Trump administration’s illegal attempts to cancel their legal status and tear families apart.”
