Rep. Gillen Passes First Bill Introduced in Congress to Extend TPS for Haitians After Historic Bipartisan Discharge Petition Win

Watch Rep. Gillen's Full Remarks Ahead of Passage HERE.

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Congresswoman Laura Gillen (NY-04) passed H.R. 1689, the first bill she introduced in Congress, bipartisan legislation to extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 350,000 Haitians on Long Island and across the country for three years. The bill's passage by a bipartisan vote of 224 to 204 follows Rep. Gillen's ongoing fight, alongside her Republican colleagues, to push back on the Administration's attempts to terminate the program. This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security to designate Haiti for temporary protected status (TPS) until April 20, 2029. The bill now awaits passage in the Senate.

"I'm thrilled that the first bill I introduced in Congress has just passed the House," said Rep. Gillen. "I was proud to lead the bipartisan effort to extend TPS for law-abiding and tax-paying Haitians who would face horrific conditions if forced back to Haiti. Not only would this threaten the lives of our neighbors, it would also have a devastating effect on our economy. The push will go on after this important victory. I urge the Senate to take up this measure and show the compassion and good sense to protect our Haitian community members."

Last month, a discharge petition led by Haiti Caucus Co-Chair Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) to force a vote on Rep. Gillen's bill received the 218 signatures needed to progress in the House. Representative Mike Lawler (R-NY) co-signed the petition and was an original cosponsor of Rep. Gillen's legislation.

Since taking office, Rep. Gillen has been a leading advocate in Congress for safeguarding TPS for Haitians. In February 2025, she first introduced the bipartisan bill directing the Department of Homeland Security to designate Haiti for TPS for 18 months beginning August 3, 2025. In June, following the Administration's abrupt decision to terminate critical humanitarian parole for Haitian citizens, Rep. Gillen urged Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to reinstate the program. In September, she helped pass a bill to crack down on criminal gangs and corrupt officials who are fueling the crisis in Haiti. Later that month, she signed onto an amicus brief challenging the Administration's unlawful termination of Haiti's TPS designation.

In January 2026, Rep. Gillen joined a bipartisan letter to the Administration urging an extension of TPS for Haitian nationals before the February 3rd expiration. She later celebrated the federal court decision preserving TPS for Haitians the day before its expiration. She also held multiple meetings with White House officials to advocate for continued protections for Haitian families residing lawfully in the United States.

Last month, Rep. Gillen secured the bipartisan support needed on a discharge petition to pass her bill extending TPS for Haitian by three years. Earlier this week, she hosted a roundtable with House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Nassau County Haitian community leaders to hear directly about the dire threats posed to the Haitian families and the Long Island economy if TPS is not extended.

(Floor remarks as prepared for delivery)

Thank you, M. speaker, I rise today in strong support of my bipartisan bill, HR. 1689, to extend TPS for Haitians.

Thank you to all of my colleagues who voted to bring this bill to a vote today, Democrat, Republican, and Independent.

Thank you, Representative Pressley, the co-Chair of the Haiti Caucus, for her leadership on the discharge petition that helped make this vote possible.

I'm grateful for her partnership in our fight to protect our Haitian neighbors.

My district in Nassau County is home to one of the largest Haitian populations in the country and we are incredibly proud of that.

Haitian Long Islanders are part of the very fabric of our communities.

They work in critical sectors like health care, education and caregiving, supporting our elderly and local hospitals.

Many have built thriving local businesses and enriched our faith community.

Before I came to Congress, I made a promise to the Haitian community in New York's Fourth District that I would use my voice and work with

anyone to help protect this community and their existing legal status here in the United States.

Removing our neighbors would not just be a humanitarian catastrophe; it would hurt our economy.

So as soon as I got to Congress, the very first bill I introduced was a bipartisan bill to extend TPS for Haitians living here.

I felt that this shouldn't be a partisan issue and it was important to get support from the other side of the aisle.

I was thrilled that my Republican colleague, Representative Mike Lawler, joined and was an original cosponsor of the bill.

And for more than a year, I have been fighting to ensure the Trump administration does what's right and reverses its cruel and misguided decision to end TPS for Haitians.

The suggestion that the situation has improved in Haiti is belied by the U.S. Department of State.

The Department's website explains that it is too dangerous for American citizens to travel to Haiti because of kidnapping, rampant crime, terrorist activity, civil unrest, and limited health care.

Armed gangs control 90% of the capital, and more than 1.4 million innocent civilians, half of them children, have been forced from their homes.

It is cruel to expect Haitians to be forced to return to these deadly conditions.

I've spoken to many Haitian families who desperately want to see peace returned to their home country.

On Monday, Leader Jeffries and I led a roundtable with Haitian community leaders in my district to hear the first-hand accounts of what's at stake if TPS is not extended.

One speaker, who recently traveled to Haiti, said that she was not allowed to travel to Port-au-Prince because it so overrun by gangs.

She shared that there is only a small part of the northern end of the island with some semblance of safety.

For anyone forced to return there, the Haitian government would say, "You're on your own."

No housing and no promise of securing work.

It is a truly dire situation.

I met a young man, a TPS recipient, who has been in the United States for six years.

He worked hard, he graduated from college and now he's giving back to his community.

He's helping those who could also face the same fate as him if he loses this protection.

He's decided to selflessly use the opportunity that he has been given, use his voice and give back.

He encapsulates the heart of the Haitian community and the true humanity of the people we are trying to protect.

I am proud that, with the partnership of my Democratic and Republican colleagues, we advanced a discharge petition and today are voting on my legislation.

It shows the bipartisan nature of this issue. It affects communities, red and blue.

I look forward to passing the very first bill that I introduced in Congress and delivering on a promise that I made before taking office to protect TPS for Haiti.

This is an important milestone for our hard-working, law-abiding, and taxpaying Haitian friends and neighbors, and others across the country.

I urge my colleagues to vote in support of this legislation and protect their lives.

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