Designation of Haiti for Temporary Protected Status

Floor Speech

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Ms. PRESSLEY. Mr. Speaker, once again, my colleagues across the aisle prove that they have no idea who or what actually makes this country great. It seems you don't know who the brilliant and effective educators in our classrooms are, or the owners of the restaurants that might provide your favorite meal, or even more, the healthcare provider, the home healthcare provider that is taking care of your aging loved one in a hospital or a nursing home.

I know firsthand how important our Haitian neighbors are to our communities, to civic life, to culture, to workforce, and to our economy.

During my mother's cancer battle, may she rest in peace and power, a battle of CLL, leukemia, that she ultimately lost, as her only child and her medical proxy in her final days, I was working daily to extend her life and to center her dignity. She spent her final moments in a hospital room in bed. The room was cold, but the Haitian nurses who cared for her provided much-needed warmth and compassion, oiling her scalp, braiding her hair, and going above and beyond to comfort my mother. I am eternally grateful to those women for their kindness, their competence, and their empathy.

I will not stand idly by while our Haitian neighbors are denigrated, dehumanized, criticized, or forced to live in fear of deportation. The unique care provided to my mother and millions of people cannot be replaced by AI.

Haitian TPS holders are not the problem. Quite the contrary, they are part of the solution. They are not our enemies. They do not exploit our Nation. They enhance it.

Secretary Kennedy himself has said that we are in a caregiving crisis. One in four of our long-term healthcare workers are Haitian, and one in five of our healthcare workers are Haitian.

The caregiving crisis impacts families throughout America. Our seniors need care to age with dignity and community. It is Haitian TPS holders who disproportionately serve as caregivers and home health aides, who during the pandemic, risked their lives to care for the sick and the ailing.

Further, with the lack of affordable housing leading to an increase in evictions and a decrease in homeownership, it is Haitian TPS holders who are part of the solution as construction workers helping to build our housing supply.

Republicans have selective amnesia or are simply in denial about who and what actually makes this country great. They are the beneficiaries of their contributions. Haitian TPS holders are not the problem. They support our families, our economy, and our country.

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Ms. PRESSLEY. They are our neighbors, our educators, our congregants, people we work and worship with, and they are our friends. That is why I support my bipartisan legislation to extend Haiti TPS, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''

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