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Know This Now, April 3, 2026: Effort to Save Haitian TPS Secures Bipartisan Support to Force House Vote, a Step towards Stability for Haitian Workers and U.S. Seniors

By April 3, 2026April 6th, 2026No Comments

Effort to Save Haitian TPS Secures Bipartisan Support to Force House Vote, a Step towards Stability for Haitian Workers and U.S. Seniors

In a major bipartisan breakthrough–applauded by ABIC Action in Politico and impacting American seniors, businesses, and 350,000 Haitian workers–a House discharge petition to protect Haitian Temporary Protected Status (TPS) officially reached the threshold of 218 signatures. This will force a floor vote on legislation to safeguard legal status and work permits for these essential workers contributing billions to the  economy and caring for 1 million American seniors.

“This vote proves something important: in competitive districts, protecting the workers who care for our seniors isn’t partisan—it’s common sense.” – Rebecca Shi, CEO of ABIC Action

The discharge petition, filed by Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), secured signatures from all House Democrats and four Republicans: Mike Lawler (R-NY), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Maria Salazar (R-FL), and Don Bacon (R-NE).

“Today marks a turning point. Four Republicans joined every Democrat to do what’s right for American seniors, American businesses, and the Haitian workers who have spent decades caring for our most vulnerable. We are deeply grateful to Congresswoman Pressley for her leadership and to Representatives Lawler, Fitzpatrick, Salazar, and Bacon for putting our economy and our businesses first,” said Rebecca Shi, CEO of ABIC Action. Read the full statement or watch ABIC Action’s Luis Zaldivar share context on TikTok.

The High Economic Stakes of TPS

TPS holders contributed $2.2 billion in taxes in 2021

TPS workers generated $35.9 billion in GDP in 2023

Sources: American Immigration Council and Penn Wharton


We are proud of the contributions to this successful effort from the Care for Our Seniors, Care for America Coalition—a powerful alliance of business, faith, and labor that ABIC convened in January alongside LeadingAge, National Domestic Workers Alliance, National TPS Alliance, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Faith in Action, and SEIU.

The House vote is expected within the coming weeks following the return from recess on April 14, 2026.

Join us: Strategy Briefing on the 218-Signature Win & Dignity Tour Launch – Tuesday, April 14 | 12:00 PM ET

Building on this historic momentum for Haitian TPS, we are also launching the bipartisan National Dignity Tour to advance the Dignity Act.

However, the stakes remain high: hardline groups known as the Mass Deportation Coalition are now pushing the Administration to focus on disruptive worksite raids to meet deportation quotas. Join us to coordinate our strategy to protect our industries and capitalize on these breakthroughs.

Agenda:

  • The TPS Roadmap: Moving 350,000 essential workers from a House vote to a Senate win.
  • The Dignity Act: Advancing citizenship for Dreamers and work permits for long-term immigrant contributors.
  • Defending American Businesses: Countering the push for mass worksite enforcement.
  • National Mobilization: Coordination for upcoming Dignity Tour stops in PA, AZ, NV, TX, and across the country.

Register Here to Join the Briefing

More from the ABIC Network:
ABIC Action Warns of Social and Economic Losses of Deporting Dreamers; Calls for Urgent Protection of Long-Term Immigrants

This week, an immigration judge ruled that a valued member of the Dallas community,  Southern Methodist University graduate and DACA recipient Omar Salazar,  will not be allowed to stay in the U.S. The ruling comes after a months-long effort to petition for his release from ICE custody. Salazar was brought to the U.S. at 11 years old, is married to a U.S. citizen, has no criminal record and is an AI entrepreneur.

“ABIC stands with Omar and the countless Dreamers like him who contribute to our economy and our communities every day.” –Juan Carlos Cerda, American Business Immigration Coalition

would pair with this image of Omar

ABIC Action, Comité de 100 and other community voices issued a statement condemning this ruling as an example of the local impacts of federal immigration overreach. Research from Comité de 100 and ABIC Action shows that the Hispanic vote will likely determine the outcome of the 2026 midterms. Recent insights also highlight growing discontent among Hispanic voters with Republicans and Donald Trump, driven in part by harsh immigration policies and rhetoric.

The groups call on lawmakers to urgently pass common-sense legislation such as the Dream Act and Dignity Act to ensure that long-term hardworking immigrants and Dreamers are not torn away from their communities. 


Barn Raiser: Farmers, Facing Labor Shortages, Push for Immigration Reform

Farmers are struggling with a labor shortage as Trump’s immigration crackdown cuts off the undocumented workforce that agriculture depends on. The crisis and current situation may be an opening though, said James O’Neill, Director of Legislative Affairs and Ag Workforce for ABIC: “I think there is a huge opportunity at the moment to get something done.” He cited recent comments by House Republicans supporting work permits for the agriculture workforce, and the growing need to import food:

“We’re relying on foreign nations to feed ourselves…That’s a huge national security issue.” – James O’Neill, Director of Legislative Affairs and Ag Workforce, ABIC

Many farmers are frustrated and raising the alarm, as workers are staying home out of fear of ICE. Without a solution, farmers and experts warn of less food, higher grocery prices, and supply chain disruptions up and down the agricultural sector.

“It is this sort of great big fat open secret that everybody understands, that there’s tons of undocumented folks working,” says dairy farmer Hans Breitenmoser, who is also a member of the ABIC Ag Council.

“We have people that are damn near killing themselves to get into this country so they can work really hard… this is an asset, not a liability.”- Hans Breitenmoser, Wisconsin dairy farmer and ABIC Ag Council member


Rick Naerebout, CEO of the Idaho Dairymen’s Association, says dairy farmers in particular “need legalization of the workers and their families and access to a visa in whatever form that comes in.”

News Briefing:
Politico: Trump’s MAGA allies have a new plan for mass deportations. It could splinter the coalition.

A coalition of Trump’s MAGA allies released a playbook Wednesday calling for aggressive worksite immigration enforcement as the centerpiece of a mass deportation push aimed at reaching 1 million deportations in 2026. The group, called the Mass Deportation Coalition, includes figures like former CBP chief Mark Morgan and Erik Prince.

“There is no chance for a mass deportation program if worksite enforcement is not the centerpiece,” the playbook, shared first with POLITICO, reads. 

The plan poses a real threat to Trump’s political coalition. Agriculture, construction, and hospitality industries that rely on undocumented labor are likely to push back hard, and these groups have already shown they can steer the administration away from worksite raids. Last June, after raids rattled the agriculture sector, officials including Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins successfully lobbied Trump to shift focus away.

“If [immigration raids] were to occur again on farm operations, that’s going to disrupt the food supply chain, and we’ve made that very clear. We know the president is committed to ensuring our food supply chain is not disrupted and that prices at the grocery store are not raised unnecessarily,” John Hollay, president of the National Council of Agricultural Employers told Politico.

Axios: Supreme Court Casts Doubt On Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Order

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments Wednesday on Trump’s executive order restricting birthright citizenship, and a majority of justices, including some conservatives, appeared skeptical of the administration’s position. Chief Justice Roberts called the government’s legal reasoning “quirky,” and Justice Kavanaugh pushed back on comparisons to other countries’ citizenship laws.

The administration argues the wording of the 14th amendment requires parents to be legally settled in the U.S., while the ACLU argues it covers nearly everyone on U.S. soil except diplomats and invading armies. Courts have consistently held since 1898 that the amendment applies to virtually all children born in the country.

Related coverage from the NYTimes: Latino Republicans in South Texas Break With Trump Over Birthright Citizenship

For Latino Republicans in South Texas, many of whom voted for Trump, the issue of birthright citizenship is deeply personal: their own families became American citizens through the 14th Amendment and see it as a cornerstone of the American dream.

Samuel Garza, an actor who voted for President Trump three times, said he began rethinking his political affiliation in recent months as he watched agents detain hard-working families and the push to end birthright citizenship.

Polling shows Hispanic Republicans are significantly more supportive of birthright citizenship than other Republicans, and recent immigration enforcement has opened cracks in Trump’s Latino base that could matter politically down the road.

Fortune: Hiring Just Hit A Level Not Seen Since The Economy Was ‘Closed Down Literally’ During Covid, Top Economist Says

The U.S. hiring rate dropped to 3.1% in February, the lowest since COVID lockdowns, and reduced immigration is emerging as a quiet but significant factor. Economists note that less population growth from reduced immigration means fewer job switches, and fewer new hires overall.

The sectors hit hardest, construction and hospitality, are also among those most reliant on immigrant labor.

NYTimes: A Republican Farmer Relies on Immigrant Work. He Sees His Party Erasing It.

The dairy industry in the U.S. relies heavily on undocumented workers and is in need of year-round work permits for these workers, many of whom have been in the country for decades:

The article profiles one Republican dairy farmer, and his family, who has been trying to persuade Republican politicians to fix the nation’s broken immigration system.

“I’m to the point where I don’t know what else to do. We need to speak up,” said farmer Joel O’Harrow.

Oregon Public Broadcasting: Trump Administration Push To Bring More Guest Farmworkers is Slow to Take Hold in Pacific Northwest


The Trump administration has made the H-2A agricultural visa program cheaper for farmers by cutting minimum wages for foreign guest workers, in Oregon dropping the floor from $19.82 to as low as $15.25 an hour. The changes are meant to help farmers cope with labor shortages worsened by immigration enforcement, which has driven undocumented workers to stay home out of fear rather than show up to farms.

But the expansion isn’t taking hold quickly in the Pacific Northwest. The program comes with significant costs, including housing, transportation, and processing fees, that offset the wage savings. Oregon actually saw fewer H-2A visas in 2025 than in 2024, and industry insiders don’t expect a surge this year.

Harvard Gazette: Study Shows More Foreign-Born Healthcare Workers Save Seniors’ Lives

 
A Harvard Medical School study finds that a 25% increase in immigration would result in 5,000 fewer senior deaths annually in the U.S., primarily by expanding the healthcare workforce and reducing nursing home use.

With immigrants already making up 32% of the home care workforce and the senior population set to grow dramatically, the authors argue the U.S. will need either more foreign-born workers or a major push to attract native-born workers into the sector.


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  1. Join one of ABIC’s Councils of 100 and let your voice be heard with your peers – sign up here. The Council of 100 is a coalition of top business leaders working to advance common-sense workforce solutions.
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