Rep. Laura Gillen, a New York Democrat, says the party’s new congressional majority gives fresh momentum to her bill extending Temporary Protected Status for Haitian migrants, a protection the Trump administration ended last year.
“The fight to protect our Haitian neighbors and pass my bill extending TPS for Haiti will gain even more momentum with a Democratic majority in Congress,” Gillen wrote in a post on X. “I’ve stood by our Haitian community and now look forward to working with my new colleagues to get this done.”
Her statement follows Democrats winning majorities in both the House and Senate. Gillen’s bill is expected to reach 60 votes in the Senate, which would leave the central question of whether President Donald Trump would veto it.
The push comes after the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in June to let the Trump administration end TPS for an estimated 450,000 Haitian migrants who had been allowed into the country under the Biden administration. The ruling meant those migrants would lose their work permits, access to government aid, driver’s licenses, and legal residency.
The policy change has had a particular impact on Springfield, Ohio, where local officials had welcomed roughly 10,000 Haitian migrants in recent years, reshaping the city’s job market, housing, schools, and public services. With TPS ended, employers who continue to employ Haitian migrants without work authorization face potential fines, and some landlords have reportedly had to lower rents as Haitian tenants leave the local housing market.
In August, reports indicated that some Haitian migrants were leaving the United States for Canada following the end of TPS protections.
Gillen’s renewed push sets up a potential clash with the White House over whether the protections should be restored, with the outcome likely to hinge on both Senate math and presidential action.
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