Markey, Blunt Rochester Lead Senate Democrats in Seeking to Pass House Bill Designating Haiti for Temporary Protected Status

Watch: Senators Markey, colleagues urge Senate to designate Haiti for TPS

Washington (July 22, 2026) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) today led Senate Democrats on the Senate Floor in seeking to pass the House bill that would designate Haiti for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). Senator Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) blocked its passage.

Senators Markey and Blunt Rochester, along with Representative Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), have been championing Representative Laura Gillen's (NY-04) House bill H.R. 1689, which passed the House in April.

"For generations, Massachusetts has been shaped by our immigrant communities. We have a moral duty to protect Haitian TPS holders and provide them with a permanent pathway to citizenship. I am utterly disappointed that Republicans blocked passage of the bill I introduced with Senator Blunt Rochester to designate Haiti for TPS until after the next presidential election. Haitian TPS holders deserve the stability of preserving their status, the dignity to live without fear, and the security of not being returned to danger. I will not stop in my fight to protect the Haitian TPS community," said Senator Markey.

"The Trump Administration's attempt to uproot Haitian TPS holders and send them back to a country in complete chaos is as cruel as it is harmful to our communities. TPS was created to give people fleeing unrest in their home countries a safe place to call home - born out of the American spirit of welcoming immigrants seeking a better life," said Senator Blunt Rochester. "It's time for Congress to step in, stand up for the core values that built America, and extend TPS for Haitian immigrants."

Senator Markey has worked consistently to protect TPS for Haiti and support the Haitian community in Massachusetts amid the Trump administration's attacks on TPS and Haitians.

• On June 25, after the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for the Trump administration's termination of TPS for Haiti and Syria in the consolidated case, Mullin v. Doe, Senator Markey, alongside Representatives Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Katherine Clark (MA-05), Maxwell Frost (FL-10), and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25) held a press conference outside the Court denouncing the decision.
• In April 2026, Senator Markey, Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz, and Congresswoman Pressley led 26 Senators and 157 Representatives in filing an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court in Miot v. Trump, a consolidated case challenging the Trump administration's unlawful termination of Haiti and Syria TPS.
• In September 2025, Senator Markey led an amicus brief in Miot v. Trump, the companion case to Mullin v. Doe, when the case was before the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. In February 2026, Senator Markey applauded the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia's decision to pause the Trump administration's termination of TPS for Haiti, which was set to expire on February 3.
• In March, Senator Markey welcomed the D.C. Circuit's ruling blocking the Trump administration from immediately terminating TPS for Haiti.
• In January, Senator Markey and Rep. Pressley held a field hearing at Jubilee Christian Church in Mattapan to highlight the importance of extending TPS for Haiti. The lawmakers heard from panels of individuals, advocates, and community leaders impacted by the Trump administration's decision to end Haiti TPS.

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