After court ruling on TPS, Frederica Wilson files legislation to protect Haitian refugees from deportation

Rep. Frederica Wilson is making it clear: Congress should not let the Supreme Court have the final say on what happens to Haitian refugees.

“Today’s Supreme Court decision is heartbreaking, but it will not be the final chapter,” the Miami-Dade Democrat said. “For more than forty years, I have stood with the Haitian community, and I will not stop now. The Court may have cleared the way for this administration to end TPS protections, but Congress still has the power to protect these families.”

Just hours after the Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision cleared the way for the Department of Homeland Security to end temporary protected status for 350,000 Haitians, Wilson introduced the Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act in the House.

Her bill would open a path to green cards for eligible Haitian nationals who have lived in the United States since June 26, 2024, as well as their families. That date is two years before the Supreme Court’s decision in Mullin v. Doe.

“The Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act moves Haitian families from uncertainty to stability,” Wilson said. “Instead of forcing people who have lived, worked, paid taxes, and raised their children here to depend on temporary protections that can disappear with the stroke of a pen, this bill provides eligible Haitians with a pathway to lawful permanent resident status and, ultimately, American citizenship. It rewards those who followed the law, keeps families together, and provides the lasting security that Temporary Protected Status was never intended to provide.”

Wilson argues this approach would treat Haitians who have been living here legally with fairness and compassion, even as their protected status is now at risk.

“TPS was never meant to become a lifetime of uncertainty,” she said. “Haitian families have done everything this country asked of them. They registered, paid the required fees, worked, paid taxes, raised their children, and strengthened our communities.

“My Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act creates a responsible pathway to lawful permanent resident status while maintaining strong safeguards to protect public safety. It is a fair, long-overdue solution that replaces years of temporary uncertainty with lasting security for long-settled Haitian families.”

Wilson’s bill already has support from other Florida Democrats, including Reps. Maxwell Frost of Orlando and Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Broward County, who signed on as original co-sponsors.

Back in April, the House passed a separate bill to extend TPS for Haitians. That measure, brought forward by Democrats through a discharge petition, drew support from 10 Republicans — including South Florida’s Mario Díaz-Balart, Carlos Giménez, and María Elvira Salazar.

The Senate, however, remains a tougher road. Any bill will need 60 votes to advance, a high bar even with leadership support.

Florida stands to feel the impact more than any other state. According to the National Immigration Forum, about 404,000 TPS holders live in Florida — far more than Texas, which has roughly 147,000.

The Supreme Court’s decision affects 350,000 Haitians with TPS nationwide. Nearly half of all Haitians in the United States — about 49 % — live in Florida, according to the Migration Policy Institute.