Ayanna Pressley

Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection relating to the withdrawal of the rule relating to "Debt Collection Practices (Regulation F); Deceptive and Unfair Collection of Medical Debt".

in committee

To amend the Fair Credit Reporting Act to prohibit consumer reporting agencies that furnish consumer reports for tenant screening purposes from providing certain information, to establish duties of users of consumer reports for housing purposes, and for other purposes.

in committee

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

introduced

“Ms. PRESSLEY. Mr. Speaker, as part of the Congressional Field Hearing on Haitian TPS Termination held in the Massachusetts 7th Congressional District, members of the community were invited to discuss the importance of extending TPS for Haitian nationals. Therefore, I include in the Record their testimonies: Dear Honorable Senator Markey and Honorable Congresswoman Pressley: In response to the slated termination of Temporary Protected Status (``TPS'') for Haitian nationals on February 3, 2026, Rian Immigrant Center respectfully submits the following remarks. [[Page E106]] Rian Immigrant Center (``Rian'') is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located in Boston, Massachusetts and serving immigrant and refugee communities across the Commonwealth, primarily through our Immigration Legal Services program. Rian, formerly the Irish Immigration Center and the Irish International Immigrant Center, was founded in 1989 by an Irish nun, Sister Lena Deevy, and a group of volunteer attorneys, to serve Boston's undocumented Irish community. Over the years, Rian has transformed into a vibrant center serving immigrants and refugees from over 125 countries worldwide, and reflecting the rich diversity of the foreign- born communities of Boston and throughout Massachusetts. In fact, early on in our organizational history, our founder Sister Lena understood the importance of building bridges between Boston's immigrant communities to find common ground and to forge mutual support; she understood that the success of Boston's Irish was inextricably linked to the success of all Boston's immigrant communities. Currently and for the last several years, Rian serves immigrants and refugees from Haiti as its single largest client group. Twenty-three percent (519/2276 individuals) of all clients served by Rian in 2025 were of Haitian origin. Our clients include: Haitians who have held TPS since the 2010 earthquake in Haiti that triggered the original Department of State designation, and who have held that status continuously for the past 15 years, forging deep roots in our community. These Haitian neighbors work legally, pay income, sales and other tax, and pay into our Social Security system; More newly-arrived Haitian families escaping recent and ongoing waves of intolerable unrest in Haiti, seeking peaceful lives and an opportunity to provide safety to their children; Haitians who were lawfully paroled into the United States to seek asylum from a tremendously backlogged system, who followed proper entry procedures only to now face termination of their protected status; Haitians with TPS in large family units including U.S. citizen children who have never lived in Haiti and are culturally American; and Haitians with medical complexities receiving life-saving or life-extending treatment in the Boston area, who would be unable to receive comparable care if returned to Haiti. TPS is a life-line for Rim's Haitian client base. It provides protection from removal to a country indisputably in the throes of unrest. It provides access to work authorization, so that protected individuals can lawfully work, support their families, pay taxes to the federal and state government, and contribute to the economy. Most importantly, it is a status authorized by Congress for nationals of countries who cannot safely repatriate. Last year, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Noem announced that she was terminating Haitian TPS because conditions in Haiti no longer supported an ongoing designation. That decision was not based in any honest interpretation of the facts; it is indisputable that Haitian nationals cannot safely repatriate at this time. Rian represents many Haitian-American U.S. citizens petitioning to lawfully bring their spouses and minor children to the U.S. through the established family reunification process. Many of these families have been stuck in limbo and separated for five or more years, as the U.S. embassy remains closed to normal visa operations due to instability and dangerous conditions. The evacuation of consular officers from the U.S. embassy; the suspension of normal consular operations for several years; reports of active gunfire between U.S. Marines guarding the embassy and violent gang members; and Department of State-issued travel warnings for Haiti all point to the inaccurate, if not flagrantly deceptive nature of Secretary Noem's TPS termination announcement. To send Haitian citizens back to these actively unsafe conditions, while lying that the conditions support their safe return, would be a humanitarian travesty, one not rooted in reality and without any productive purpose. TPS, established by Congress, exists exactly to protect individuals from returning to such conditions our Haitian community members fear returning to today. Rian urges Congress to advocate for an extension of TPS based on the indisputable facts on the ground. A country presumably following the rule of law cannot allow decisions on TPS termi”

2026-02-04 · Immigration

“Ms. PRESSLEY. Mr. Speaker, as part of the Congressional Field Hearing on Haitian TPS Termination held in the Massachusetts 7th Congressional District, experts from the community were invited to discuss the importance of extending TPS for Haitian nationals. Therefore, I include in the Record their testimonies: Testimony of Attorney Mirian Albert of Lawyers for Civil Rights to the Congressional Field Hearing on the Termination of Haitian Temporary Protected Status Lawyers for Civil Rights (``LCR'') advocates for communities of color and immigrants through legal action, education, and economic empowerment. On March 3, 2025, LCR fIled a federal lawsuit to block the termination of Temporary Protected Status (``TPS'') for Haitian and Venezuelan immigrants. The lawsuit was brought on behalf of three immigrant advocacy organizations--Haitians Americans United, Inc. (``HAU''), Venezuelan Association of Massachusetts (`` VAM''), UndocuBlack Network (``UBN'')--and four individual TPS holders. Today, LCR urges Congress to act to preserve humane immigration protections like TPS. Without those protections, the consequences will be severe, forcing families into crisis, undermining local economies, and pushing communities into unnecessary instability. TPS for Haiti was first designated in 2010, after a catastrophic earthquake. Extensions continued over many years in recognition of Haiti's ongoing instability and humanitarian needs. The designation was most recently extended through February 3, 2026, under a Biden-era decision, reflecting the reality that the conditions prompting the original designation have not meaningfully improved. In February 2025, the Trump Administration attempted to shorten that designation through a ``partial vacatur,'' purporting to cut the TPS period by six months. A federal court ruled the action unlawful and restored the February 3, 2026 expiration date. Despite this ruling, in late 2025, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced it would not renew Haiti's TPS designation beyond that date. LCR strongly condemned this decision. Terminating TPS amid Haiti's ongoing crisis--including widespread gang violence, political instability, and economic collapse--ignores conditions that even the U.S. State Department continues to warn make travel unsafe. The consequences of this decision are [[Page E109]] not abstract or speculative; they are immediate and deeply human. If allowed to proceed, the termination of Haitian TPS on February 3, 2026 would impose immediate and serious harms. First, TPS holders would lose protection from deportation absent another lawful status resulting in the sudden destruction of countless lives and the separation of families. Many Haitian TPS recipients have lived in the United States for over a decade, have U.S. citizen children, contribute to the economy, own homes, and have built stable lives rooted in their communities. Termination would suddenly expose over 300,000 Haitian TPS holders to removal proceedings, upending families and lives. Second, work authorization tied to TPS would expire creating a severe gap in the economy. Haitian TPS holders comprise a large portion of essential work in healthcare, education, and other critical sectors. The loss of their labor would harm not only individual families, but also employers, local economies, and public services that rely on their contributions. In light of these realities, LCR urges Congress to take the following actions: Pursue a Pathway to Permanent Residency for TPS Holders. While politically challenging, abandoning long-term TPS holders to indefInite legal limbo, or forcing them into undocumented status, is neither humane nor rational immigration policy. Invest in U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' capacity, access, and fairness. Congress should fund and mandate meaningful improvements at USCIS to reduce adjudication backlogs, expand language access, and ensure TPS holders can realistically pursue alternative forms of relief. Increase Funding for Legal Services and Community-Based Organizations. Congress should increase funding for legal services providers and trusted community-based organizations that assist TPS holders with transition planning, applications for relief, and know-your-rights education. Access to legal counsel is often the difference between stability and removal. Terminating Haitian TPS without a humane and legally sound alternative compounds existing injustices and jeopardizes the well-being of families and communities across the United States. We must choose policies rooted in justice, grounded in law, and reflective of this Nation's fundamental values. __________ To Whom it May Concern: This testimony is submitted anonymously on behalf of a Massachusetts-based, community- rooted mental health organization that primarily serves Haitian individuals and families, many of whom hold TPS. To protect the safety, dignity, and privacy of our clients, staff and community partners, no identifyin”

2026-02-04 · Immigration

“Ms. PRESSLEY. Mr. Speaker, on January 20, 2026, I convened a Congressional Field Hearing in my district on Haitian TPS Termination. Senator Markey and Representative Moulton also participated along with community stakeholders. I include in the Record my opening remarks: Thank you to Jubilee--we are so appreciative of their partnership in providing this space for us today. I want to also thank tech. I want to thank security, and everyone else. I think it's very apropos on the wake of the many faith events that we have been at celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., to invoke one of my favorite adages, which is, when you pray--and we have been doing a lot of that, and I certainly do that as a woman of faith myself-- move your feet. And so, I will continue to pray and to move my feet, to steward every tool available to me in the work of resistance, the actualization of justice and the furthering of progress--using the power of my congressional letterhead, using the power of my pen as a lawmaker, using the power of my platform, using the power of convening, which is what brings us here today. I also do want to take a moment to acknowledge the indefatigable efforts of my staff that I call the A team who make great personal sacrifices and labor in love on behalf of the Massachusetts Seventh every single day, which includes majority of parts Boston, Cambridge, all of Somerville, Randolph, Everett, Chelsea and Milton, can we please just thank my staff? Then, of course, I wish to thank all of you and a partner in good to the left of me. I thank Senator Markey for his collaborative partnership today in this Congressional field hearing. I proudly serve as the Co-Chair of the House Haiti Caucus, a caucus that had been dissolved that I worked actively to reassemble, not knowing what was on the horizon. And so it is in that role--as the Congresswoman for the Massachusetts Seventh and as the Co-Chair of the House Haiti Caucus--that we arrive here today. Reviving the Haiti caucus was a significant priority for me, because my district represents the third largest Haitian diaspora in the country. More than 77,000 Haitians call the Commonwealth their home. Our Haitian neighbors are attorneys, nurses, social workers, chefs, artists, teachers, pastors, and elected officials--and so much more. Their contributions are an integral part of our community, culture and economy. And the island of Haiti, which is only a short distance from Florida, must be recognized as an important ally to the United States' national security interests. On a personal note, I credit the people of Haiti, especially as we are coming off of celebrating independence, for teaching me my earliest lessons in the work of resistance. So today, on the one year anniversary--feels much longer--on the one year anniversary of this cruel and hostile administration, we are doing the work of resistance like we did one year ago today. We are here in community, listening to the people closest to the pain. Today's hearing is an opportunity to examine the necessity of extending TPS for Haiti. For those unaware, Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, is an immigration designation in recognition of a country facing conflict, disaster or extraordinary conditions, TPS has received bipartisan support for over 30 years as a program. With this status, Haitians have been able to live and work in the United States, whether they came to the US in 2010 after the catastrophic earthquake, or more recently, following the assassination of the President and the rise in gang violence. Which I must acknowledge the trafficking of guns from the United States contributes to. The people of Haiti are our neighbors, and have helped build our communities into loving, joyful, and safe places where everyone can thrive. Now, Massachusetts (I do think these numbers are important), has about 45,000 Haitian TPS holders. So it is in the interest of the integrity of this Massachusetts Seventh and the Commonwealth and our economy and all that keeps our families and our neighborhoods whole. Everyone who calls the Commonwealth Home, who calls the Massachusetts Seventh home, who calls the city of Boston home, should be invested in this fight. Lives and livelihoods are at risk. If Donald Trump and his anti-immigrant crusade are successful, more than 350,000 Haitian nationals will lose their legal status on February 3rd. I want everyone to know that this Congresswoman is fighting tooth and nail to stop this from happening. Since being elected to Congress, I've stood shoulder to shoulder with our immigrant neighbors. Together, we have helped immigrate new arrivals to the Commonwealth by making sure kids are enrolled in school, adults can find work, and families are healthy. In Washington, DC, I've urged Democratic and Republican Presidents alike--Democrat and Republican Presidents alike-- to support Haiti. To support Haiti and its efforts to build the nation, to support a Democratic transition”

2026-02-04 · Immigration