Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 1689) to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to designate Haiti for temporary protected status.

Plain-English Summary

This bill (H.R. 1689) would require the Secretary of Homeland Security to grant Haiti Temporary Protected Status (TPS) — a legal designation that allows people from a specific country to live and work legally in the United States on a temporary basis when conditions in their home country make it unsafe or impossible to return. TPS is typically granted when a country is experiencing serious ongoing crises such as natural disasters, armed conflict, or other extraordinary conditions. By *requiring* the designation rather than leaving it to the administration's discretion, this bill would make TPS for Haiti mandatory under federal law.

This legislation would primarily affect Haitian nationals currently living in the United States who do not have permanent legal immigration status. If passed, they would be protected from deportation and authorized to work legally in the U.S. for the duration of the TPS designation. Haiti has previously held TPS designation at various points, particularly following the devastating 2010 earthquake and other crises, but that status has been subject to changes by different administrations.

The bill is currently in a procedural phase. Representative Pressley has filed a motion to discharge — a tool members of Congress can use to force a bill out of committee and onto the House floor for a full vote when committee leadership has not moved it forward. This means the bill has not yet received a committee hearing or vote, and this procedural move is an attempt to bring it directly before all House members for consideration.