Rep. Gillen Urges Extension of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians Ahead of Expiration
Congresswoman Laura Gillen with Reverend Edy Bichotte and community activist, Claire Leon.
ELMONT, NY – Congresswoman Laura Gillen (NY-04) hosted a press conference with local leaders and advocates from Long Island's Haitian community to call on the Department of Homeland Security to extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian nationals before the February 3rd expiration. Rep. Gillen warned that allowing TPS to expire would tear Haitian families apart and force law-abiding, tax-paying members of the community, who have enriched Nassau County, to return to life-threatening danger in Haiti.
“In Nassau County, we’re proudly home to one of the largest Haitian populations in the country. They have only made Long Island, our economy and faith community stronger,” said Rep. Gillen. “Haitians work in healthcare, education and caregiving, helping our elderly and supporting local hospitals. Many have built thriving local businesses. Removing our neighbors will not only lead to a humanitarian catastrophe, but it will also tear at our economy and leave essential jobs vacant. While Secretary Noem and the Administration are willing to abandon this community, I will not.”
“Temporary Protected Status was designed to offer safety and stability to people who cannot safely return home. Haitian TPS holders are our neighbors, our colleagues, and the parents of American children,” said Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages. “Many have integrated into our communities and made New York a better place. They contribute to the economy, provide to our communities, and most importantly, are human beings who deserve dignity and protection. Ending these protections without a permanent solution having been established is cruel and inhumane. Protections must be secured and the efforts of this administration to destabilize ordinary people simply seeking a decent life free from danger and harm must be uncompromisingly rejected.”
“Turning Haitian people back to Haiti will be a disaster, because of what happened after the killing of the President, Jovenel Moïse,” said Reverend Edy Bichotte of Bethany French Baptist Church. “There's no president now. Those who left, it's not because they didn't want to stay, but because there is no way to survive. They kidnap them, they rape them. They take their house. They have to move here, having the permission to come to the United States, … It was a blessing to come. Now, they fear what will happen after February 3rd.”
“We work important jobs, we pay taxes. All we want is safety and security. It's not safe to go back to Haiti again,” said Claire Leon, Nassau County resident, healthcare worker and community activist. “Not extending this deadline will be devastating for us and for Nassau County. Congresswoman Laura Gillen has had our back. She has met with us. She listened. For the first time, an elected official has provided information from their office in Haitian Creole. She sees us. We ask for the extension to stay. We will keep on fighting for the safety and security of our Haitian family in Nassau County.”
Since taking office, Rep. Gillen has been a leading advocate in Congress for safeguarding TPS for Haitians. In February 2025, she introduced a 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. This week, Rep. Gillen joined a bipartisan letter to the Administration urging an extension of TPS for Haitian nationals through February 3, 2027, before the upcoming expiration. She also held multiple meetings with White House officials to advocate for continued protections for Haitian families residing lawfully in the United States.