Bipartisan support secured as Rep. Laura Gillen forces House vote on bill extending Temporary Protected Status for Haitians

Rockville Center, New York – In a move that could soon force action on a contentious immigration issue, Laura Gillen announced that her legislation to extend Temporary Protected Status for Haitians has reached a critical milestone in the United States House of Representatives.

The New York congresswoman revealed that a discharge petition tied to her bill has now secured the bipartisan support required to trigger a vote on the House floor. The legislation would extend Temporary Protected Status, often known as TPS, for Haitian nationals living in the United States for an additional three years.

A discharge petition is a rarely used procedural tool in Congress. It allows lawmakers to bypass committee leadership and bring legislation directly to the floor if enough members sign on. In this case, supporters gathered the 218 signatures necessary to compel House leadership to schedule a vote.

“I’m proud that my bill to extend TPS for Haitian Americans now has the bipartisan support needed to force a vote on this dire issue in Congress,” said Rep. Gillen. “Thank you to my colleagues, Representatives Lawler and Pressley, for their efforts to advance this legislation. Since taking office, I have fought tirelessly to extend TPS for Haitian recipients after the Administration refused to do so. Bringing this bill to a vote is an important milestone to protect the lives of our Haitian friends and neighbors across the country. TPS has safeguarded law-abiding, hardworking, taxpaying members of our communities who came to the U.S. seeking safety. I will continue to lead this fight on their behalf while they face a frightening possibility of being forced to return to Haiti.”

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The bipartisan effort includes support from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, including Mike Lawler and Ayanna Pressley, who helped advance the petition. Their backing helped push the effort past the threshold required to move forward.

Under House rules, once a discharge petition gathers enough signatures, the measure becomes eligible to be called up after seven legislative days. After that waiting period, a member of Congress can formally notify the House of their intent to bring the bill forward. At that point, the Speaker must allow a vote within two legislative days.

For Gillen and her supporters, the moment represents more than just a procedural victory. It reflects months of sustained advocacy surrounding the future of TPS protections for Haitians living in the United States.

TPS is a humanitarian immigration program that allows people from countries experiencing severe crises—such as armed conflict, environmental disasters, or political instability—to temporarily live and work in the U.S. without fear of deportation. Haiti, which has faced years of escalating violence and instability, has long been among the countries designated for the program.

Since entering Congress, Gillen has positioned herself as one of the leading voices advocating for continued protections for Haitian nationals. Early in 2025, she introduced bipartisan legislation directing the Department of Homeland Security to designate Haiti for TPS for an 18-month period beginning August 3, 2025.

Her efforts did not stop there. In June of that year, after the administration ended a humanitarian parole program that had provided temporary relief to Haitian migrants, Gillen called on Kristi Noem, the Secretary of Homeland Security, to restore the initiative.

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The lawmaker also supported broader actions aimed at addressing the root causes of the crisis in Haiti. In September, she helped pass legislation targeting criminal gangs and corrupt officials believed to be fueling violence and instability in the country. Later that same month, she joined an amicus brief challenging what she described as the unlawful termination of Haiti’s TPS designation.

Her advocacy continued into 2026. In January, Gillen signed onto a bipartisan letter urging the administration to extend TPS protections for Haitian nationals before they were set to expire on February 3. The situation remained tense until a federal court stepped in at the last moment, preserving the program for Haitian recipients just one day before the deadline.

Behind the scenes, Gillen also held multiple meetings with White House officials, pressing for continued protections for Haitian families who are legally living and working in communities across the United States.

Now, with the discharge petition successfully filed, the issue is poised to move out of procedural limbo and into the national spotlight. If brought to the floor as expected, lawmakers will soon have to publicly decide whether to extend TPS protections for Haitian nationals.

For many Haitian families who have built lives in the United States, the upcoming vote could carry enormous consequences. The outcome may determine whether thousands of people can remain in the country they now call home—or face the prospect of returning to a nation still struggling with deep political and humanitarian turmoil.