Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – 7/6/26… Today, Congressman Mike Lawler (NY-17) sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune urging the Senate to immediately take up and pass H.R. 1689, bipartisan legislation that would extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians following the recent Supreme Court decision allowing the Administration to terminate the program.

Reps. Lawler and Laura Gillen introduced H.R. 1689 early in 2025 after the Administration’s initial announcement that they would push to end the TPS designation for Haiti. Rep. Lawler later signed a discharge petition to force consideration on the House floor, and it passed the House with a bipartisan majority vote. Unfortunately, the legislation has remained pending in the Senate for months without a vote.

Approximately one-third of the roughly 350,000 Haitians currently protected under TPS work in the healthcare sector as nurses, home health aides, direct support professionals, and other essential caregivers. 

Removing these workers would deepen existing healthcare staffing shortages while disrupting care for patients nationwide. Lawler also emphasized that conditions in Haiti remain unsafe due to widespread violence, kidnappings, and an ongoing humanitarian emergency, making the country ill-equipped to safely receive individuals whose protected status is terminated.

Rep. Lawler has consistently supported the Haitian community here in the Hudson Valley and joins them in their call for the Senate to take immediate action.

The full letter can be found HERE.

Congressman Lawler is one of the most bipartisan members of Congress and represents New York's 17th Congressional District, which is just north of New York City and contains all or parts of Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, and Westchester Counties. He was rated the most effective freshman lawmaker in the 118th Congress, 8th overall, surpassing dozens of committee chairs.

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