Mayor Todd Gloria called on Congress Thursday to pass a Senate Bill to extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 350,000 Haitians living in the United States, including thousands locally.
The TPS for Haitian nationals expired July 27, following a U.S. Supreme Court decision in June which determined the Trump administration could cut off temporary legal protections for thousands of Haitians, as well as Syrians.
"With the federal administration ending Temporary Protected Status for more than 350,000 Haitian nationals living and working legally in the United States, the Congress must take action now," Gloria said. "No family should face deportation to a country the U.S. State Department continues to warn is experiencing widespread violence, kidnapping, and instability.
"TPS holders are our neighbors, coworkers, caregivers, and small business owners. Cities see firsthand the contributions TPS holders make every day — as healthcare workers, caregivers, service workers, entrepreneurs, and neighbors. They pay taxes, strengthen our economy, and contribute every day to the communities they call home. Many have lived here for years, raising families and building their futures in cities like San Diego."
The bill introduced by Sen. Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts, would have the secretary of Homeland Security extend TPS to Haitians through March 2029.
Haiti suffered under the rule of dictators Francois and Jean-Claude Duvalier from 1957 to 1986, followed by a series of elected presidents, many of whom were military-backed. In recent years, a Transitional Presidential Council was set up as a result of the "Haitian Crisis," a series of protests against corruption in the existing regime as well as ongoing armed gang violence.
Since the 'crisis' began in 2018, thousands have been killed and more than 600,000 Haitians have been displaced — many to the United States.
This summer's Supreme Court ruling is not the first time Haiti has come up in the Trump administration, with the president using an expletive to describe Haiti and African countries during a 2018 closed-door meeting. In 2024, Trump repeated a baseless claim during a presidential debate that Haitian immigrants were "eating the dogs. The people that came in, they are eating the cats. They're eating — they are eating the pets of the people that live there."
The Obama administration initially granted Haitians TPS in 2010 after a 7.0 earthquake struck the island, causing more than 200,000 deaths and the collapse of hundreds of thousands of buildings.
Gloria said TPS needed to be extended to Haitians for their own well-being.
"They do not deserve to lose their legal status in the United States, especially when conditions in their home country are so dangerous. Congress has the authority to alleviate their fears and give them the safety and security that they deserve," he said. "As President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, I stand with mayors across the country in calling on Congress to act.
"Every day, cities see the contributions TPS holders make to our communities and local economies. Extending Temporary Protected Status is the right thing to do for these families, for our cities, and for our country."
