Text of the Letter (PDF)

WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (NY-09), and Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) led 62 of their colleagues in the House and 23 of their colleagues in the Senate in a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem demanding the Trump Administration redesignate and extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti, which the administration recently canceled on questionable legal authority:

In the letter, the lawmakers wrote, “The July 1, 2024 Federal Register notice extending Haiti’s TPS cited ‘grave insecurity, gang violence, socio-economic collapse, and environmental disasters’ as an ongoing crisis warranting protection. However, your February 2025 notice asserts that the 18-month period lacked justification. This decision ignores the overwhelming evidence that Haiti remains an unsafe place for anyone to return to. These conditions cited on the July 1, 2024 Federal Register Notice have worsened. Armed groups now control over 90% of Port-au-Prince, terrorizing civilians with widespread kidnappings, sexual violence, and indiscriminate killings. The UN reports that at least 5,601 people were killed in Haiti last year as a result of gang violence, over 1,000 more than the total killings for 2023. As of September 2024, nearly half the population of the country— 5.5 million Haitians—require urgent humanitarian aid, with 1.6 million facing ‘catastrophic’ food insecurity. Gang sieges and arson attacks have internally displaced over 1,041,000 people.”

The CROWN Act passed the House of Representatives in 2019 and 2022 but was blocked in the Senate.

The Members continued, “The decision to rescind Haiti’s TPS designation is not a thoughtful policy in the best interest of the United States. During his 2024 presidential campaign, Donald Trump explicitly singled out Haitian TPS recipients in rallies and interviews. This rhetoric mirrored his 2017 termination of Haiti’s TPS designation, which a federal court blocked for violating the Administrative Procedure Act and failing to consider country conditions. The administration’s current vacatur revives this legally dubious playbook, seeking to destabilize the lives of Haitian immigrants through shortened protections and heightened uncertainty.”

“We request that you extend and redesignate Haiti for TPS for the statutory maximum of 18 months. Failure to extend and redesignate TPS would violate the INA’s requirement for data-driven decisions and abandon over 500,000 Haitians to a warzone the U.S. government has explicitly deemed unsafe. Congress intended TPS to be both a humanitarian tool and a pragmatic response to unstable conditions abroad. While DHS has discretion, that authority must be exercised with diligence, transparency, and fidelity to the law,” they wrote, before requesting responses to a series of questions regarding the legal basis and humanitarian and national interest considerations that led to the administration’s questionable decision to cancel Haiti’s TPS designation.

House Signers (64): Pressley, Clarke, Adams, Amo, Beatty, Beyer, Carson, Casar, Castor, Cherfilus-McCormick, Chu, Clark, Davis (Danny), Frost, Garcia (Jesus), Garcia (Sylvia), Goldman, Hayes, Hernandez, Jackson (Jonathan), Jacobs, Jayapal, Jeffries, Johnson (Henry), Latimer, Lee, Lofgren, Lynch, Magaziner, McClellan, McGovern, McIver, Meeks, Meng, Mfume, Moulton, Norton, Ocasio-Cortez, Omar, Pallone, Pingree, Pocan, Quigley, Ramirez, Raskin, Scanlon, Schakowsky, Scott (Bobby), Sewell, Soto, Suozzi, Swalwell, Thanedar, Thompson (Bennie), Tlaib, Tonko, Trahan, Vargas, Veasey, Velazquez, Wasserman Schultz, Waters, Watson Coleman, Wilson (Frederica)

Senate Signers (24): Van Hollen, Blumenthal, Booker, Coons, Cortez Masto, Duckworth, Durbin, Gillibrand, Heinrich, Hirono, Kaine, Kim (Andy), Klobuchar, Markey, Padilla, Reed, Sanders, Schumer, Shaheen, Warner, Warnock, Warren, Welch, Whitehouse

This letter has been endorsed by more than 100 organizations, including: UndocuBlack Network, African Communities Together, Black Alliance for Just Immigration, Center for Gender & Refugee Studies, Church World Service, Communities United for Status & Protection (CUSP), FWD.us, Del Camino Jesuit Border Ministries, East Bay Sanctuary Covenant, Family Action Network Movement, Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project, Florida Immigrant Coalition, Haitian Bridge Alliance, Hispanics in Philanthropy, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef), Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project, Immigrant Legal Resource Center, Muslim Advocates, National Employment Law Project, National Partnership for New Americans, Nigerian Center, Presente.org, Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, Quixote Center, Refugees International, Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network (SIREN), The Advocates for Human Rights, The Border Network for Human Rights, United African Organization, Wind of the Spirit Immigrant Resource Center, Witness at the Border, Baker Interfaith Friends Refugees International, Louisiana Organization for Refugees and Immigrants, TPS-DED AAC, Haitian Support Center, Faith In Texas, Center for Law and Social Policy, Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project (ASAP), Just Neighbors, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC, Immigration Hub, New York Immigration Coalition, Human Rights First, Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti, Oasis Legal Services, Immigrants Rising, Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative, National Immigrant Justice Center, Borderlands Resource Initiative, Alianza Americas, Community Solutions, NH Conference, United Church of Christ Immigrant & Refugee Support Group, Immigrants Act Now, Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice, National Bar Association, Gainesville Interfaith Alliance for Immigrant Justice, Interfaith Alliance for Immigrant Justice, Cameroon Advocacy Network, Louisiana Organization for Refugees and Immigrants – LORI, Women Watch Afrika, International Refugee Assistance Project, Sanctuary for Families, Minnesota Freedom Fund, scaleLIT, Win Without War, Urban Mom Collective National Black Mom Coalition, We Are All America, Westside Justice Center, Freedom for Immigrants, Partners In Health, Service Employees International Union, SEIU, Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area (LSSNCA), Adhikaar for Human Rights and Social Justice, EqualHealth’s Campaign Against Racism,  Immigration Center for Women and Children, Advocates for Basic Legal Equality (ABLE), Refugee Advocacy Lab, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, CASA, Immigration Law & Justice Network, Immigrant ARC, National Immigration Project, The Sidewalk School, TPS-DED AAC, Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice, United African Organization, United We Dream, Urban Mom Collective National Black Mom Coalition, We Are All America, Westside Justice Center, Win Without War, Wind of the Spirit Immigrant Resource Center, Witness at the Border, Women Watch Afrika, Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights, Working Families United, Hope Border Institute, Washington Office on Latin America, La Raza Community Resource Center (SF), Mujeres Unidas y Activas, Center for Engagement and Advocacy in the Americas, Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network (SIREN), Alianza Americas, The Episcopal Church, MomsRising, Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County, Inc. (CAB), Asian Law Caucus, and the Central American Resource Center (CARECEN-LA).

The text of the letter can be read here.

As Representative for the Massachusetts 7th Congressional District, Congresswoman Pressley serves as Co-Chair for the House Haiti Caucus and represents one of the largest Haitian diaspora communities in the country, with approximately 46,000 Haitians and Haitian-Americans living across the state and over half in the Boston metropolitan area. Additionally, Massachusetts is home to more than 4,700 Haitians with Temporary Protected Status.

• On February 20, 2025, Rep. Pressley and her Haiti Caucus Co-Chairs issued a statement condemning the Trump Administration’s decision to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti.
• On November 14, 2024, Rep. Pressley and her Haiti Caucus Co-Chairs issued a statement condemning violence in Haiti and calling on the Biden Administration to halt all deportations to Haiti.
• On September 25, 2024, Rep. Pressley and her Haiti Caucus Co-Chairs issued a statement condemning the false and dangerous lies about Haitian, Latino, and Asian immigrants.
• On September 20, 2024, Rep. Pressley and her Haiti Caucus Co-Chairs joined colleagues and advocates at a press conference to stand in solidarity with Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio and across America, and to demand accountability for the harmful and false narratives perpetuated by Republicans.
• On June 28, 2024, Rep. Pressley issued a statement applauding the Biden-Harris Administration’s extension and redesignation of Haiti for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). 
• On April 23, 2024, Rep. Pressley, alongside Co-Chairs Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), led a group of 50 lawmakers urging the Biden Administration to redesignate Haiti for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), pause on deportations back to Haiti, extend humanitarian parole to any Haitians currently detained in Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s detention centers, end detention of Haitian migrants intercepted at sea, and provide additional humanitarian assistance for Haiti.
• On April 18, 2024, Rep. Pressley and Haiti Caucus Co-Chairs led a letter to House Ways and Means Committee leadership emphasizing support for the early renewal of the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement (HOPE) and the Haiti Economic Lift Program (HELP) Acts, commonly known as HOPE/HELP. 
• On April 12, 2024, Rep. Pressley joined Haitian-led activists, organizations, and a directly impacted person in Haiti for a press call urging federal action to address the worsening humanitarian crisis in Haiti.
• On March 27, 2024, Rep. Pressley joined Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and her colleagues on the Massachusetts congressional delegation in urging the Biden Administration to expedite visa processing for Haitians, particularly  for relatives of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents.
• On March 18, Rep. Pressley, Senator Markey, and the House Haiti Caucus led 67 lawmakers on a letter urging the Biden Administration to extend TPS for Haiti and halt deportations.
• On March 12, 2024, Rep. Pressley and Haiti Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Cherfilus McCormick and Yvette Clarke issued a statement on the resignation of Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry.
• On March 6, 2024, Rep. Pressley issued a statement on the recent jailbreak and State of Emergency in Haiti.
• On December 8, 2023, Rep. Pressley and Congresswoman Yvette Clarke urged the U.S. Department of State to withdraw U.S. support for an armed foreign intervention in Haiti and encourage negotiations for a Haitian-led democratic political transition.
• On December 6, 2022, Rep. Pressley issued a statement applauding the Biden Administration’s extension and re-designation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti.
• On December 1, 2022, Rep. Pressley, Rep. Cori Bush, and Rep. Mondaire Jones led 14 of their colleagues on a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas urging the Department to extend and redesignate Haiti for Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
• In September 2022, Rep. Pressley and Rep. Velázquez led 54 of their colleagues on a letter calling on the Biden Administration to immediately halt deportations to Haiti and provide humanitarian parole protections for those seeking asylum. The lawmakers’ letter followed the Administration’s resumption of deportation flights to Haiti as thousands of Haitian migrants continue to await an opportunity to make an asylum claim at the border. 
• In September 2022, Rep. Pressley joined her colleagues on the House Oversight Committee in demanding answers regarding the inhumane treatment of migrants in Del Rio, Texas, by Border Patrol agents on horseback and pushing to Biden Administration to end the ongoing use and weaponization of Title 42.
• On August 17, 2022, Rep. Pressley, along with Haiti Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Val Demings, Yvette Clarke, and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), called on President Biden to appoint a new Special Envoy to Haiti, a position that has remained unfilled since September 2021.
• On July 7, 2022, Rep. Pressley and Haiti Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Andy Levin (MI-09), Val Demings (FL-10) and Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) released a statement marking the one-year anniversary of the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse.
• On May 31, 2022, Rep. Pressley and Reverend Dieufort Fleurissaint, chair of Haitian Americans United, published an op-ed in the Bay State Banner in which they called on the Biden administration to withdraw support for de facto ruler of Haiti, Ariel Henry, and instead support an inclusive, civil society-led process to restore stability and democracy on the island. 
• In April 2022, she joined her colleagues at a press conference reaffirming her support for President Biden’s decision to end Title 42. Full video of her remarks at the press conference is available here. Rep. Pressley applauded the Biden Administration’s end of Title 42 in a statement in April 2022.
• On May 26, 2022, Rep. Pressley, along with with Representatives Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Andy Levin (MI-09), Jim McGovern (MA-02), and Frederica Wilson (FL-24), led a letter to United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Power urging her to act to ensure food security in Haiti.
• On March 16, 2022, Rep. Pressley and Rep. Mondaire Jones called on Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky to fully end Title 42, cease deportations of people to Haiti and affirm their legal and fundamental human right to seek asylum.
• On February 16, 2022, Rep. Pressley joined Congresswoman Cori Bush (MO-01), Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), and 100 House and Senate colleagues in urging President Biden to reverse inhumane immigration policies – such as Title 42, originally introduced under the Trump Administration – that continue to disproportionately harm Black migrants.
• On February 14, 2022, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), alongside Representatives Judy Chu (CA-27) and Nydia Velázquez (NY-07), led 33 other House Democrats on a letter to Rochelle Walensky, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, demanding answers about the agency’s justification for treating asylum seekers as a unique public health threat, how these expulsions are being coordinated, how asylum seekers being returned to dangerous situations are being cared for, and more.
• On February 14, 2022, Reps. Pressley, Judy Chu (CA-27), and Nydia Velázquez (NY-07) led 33 other House Democrats on a letter to CDC Director Walensky demanding answers about the agency’s justification for treating asylum seekers as a unique public health threat, how these expulsions are being coordinated, how asylum seekers being returned to dangerous situations are being cared for, and more. Days later, Rep. Pressley once again called on the Biden Administration to reverse the Title 42 Order and other anti-Black immigration policies.
• On January 12, 2022, Rep. Pressley and Haiti Caucus Co-Chairs Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09), Andy Levin (MI-09), and Val Demings (FL-10) released a statement on the 12-year anniversary of the catastrophic 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010.
• On November 21, 2021, Rep. Pressley and Senator Elizabeth Warren led the Massachusetts congressional delegation on a letter to the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) calling on them to coordinate with the government agencies of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to assist newly arrived families from Haiti. 
• On October 18, 2021, Rep. Pressley, and Haiti Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Val Demings (FL-10), Yvette Clarke (NY-09), and Andy Levin (MI-09) issued a statement following the kidnapping of American and Canadian missionaries in Haiti.
• On October 18, 2021, Rep. Pressley issued a statement on the civil rights complaint filed by Haitian families demanding a federal investigation into the heinous actions perpetrated by federal officials at the border.
• On October 22, 2021, Rep. Pressley, along with Oversight Chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney, Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), and Reps. Rashida Tlaib (MI-13), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), sent a letter to Troy A. Miller, the Acting Administrator of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), demanding a briefing and answers regarding press reports of the inhumane treatment of migrants in Del Rio, Texas, by Border Patrol agents on horseback. 
• On September 17, 2021, Rep. Pressley and Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez (NY-07) led 52 of their colleagues calling on the Biden Administration to immediately halt deportations to Haiti and take urgent action to address the concerns of the Haitian Diaspora after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake devastated Haiti.
• On August 14, 2021, Rep. Pressley Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Andy Levin (MI-09) and Val Demings (FL-10) and Mondaire Jones (NY-17) released a statement regarding the recent earthquake in Haiti.
• On July 14, 2021, Rep. Pressley and Haiti Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Andy Levin (MI-09) and Val Demings (FL-10) sent a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas calling on him to take a series of steps to support the Haitian diaspora amid ongoing political turmoil in Haiti.
• In July 2021, the Reps. Pressley, Clarke, Demings and Levin issued a statement condemning the assassination of President Moïse and calling for swift and decisive action to bring political stability and peace to Haiti and the Haitian people.
• In May 2021, on Haitian Flag Day, Reps. Pressley, Levin, Clarke and Demings announced the formation of the House Haiti Caucus, a Congressional caucus dedicated to pursuing a just foreign policy that puts the needs and aspirations of the Haitian people first.

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