Rep. Ayanna Pressley says she has secured enough support from her colleagues in the House to seek a vote to extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians living in the United States.
Pressley, the co-chair of the House Haiti Caucus, has led a petition to seek a three-year extension on the TPS designation, which the Trump administration has moved to terminate. The Trump directives have been blocked to date by federal judges, but the matter could be challenged to the Supreme Court.
Pressley said on Friday she now has the minimum number of signatures —218— from House members needed to move the “discharge petition” forward and force a vote within the coming weeks.
“The success of this discharge petition is a testament to our collective organizing and the strength of our broad, diverse movement to affirm the humanity, dignity, and safety of our Haitian siblings,” Rep. Pressley said in a statement. “Today we are a critical step closer to saving lives and delivering the protections they deserve. The House must vote on this and I urge all of my colleagues to strongly support.”
A post shared by Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (@repayannapressley)
Pressley, alongside Senator Markey, organized a hearing in Mattapan in January focused on the TPS crisis, which could impact tens of thousands of people living legally in Massachusetts and as many as 350,000 across the nation.
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