SEPTEMBER 22, 2026
Contact: info@haitianbridge.org,  Paige Censale, pcensale@haitianbridge.org

Washington, DC— The Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA) will lead a congressional briefing on Wednesday, September 23, examining the consequences of the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians in the United States and the growing humanitarian risks facing individuals deported to Haiti.

The briefing will bring together leading human rights organizations and Haitian-American advocates to provide Senate staff and Senators with firsthand analysis of the human rights and humanitarian implications of recent immigration policies affecting Haitian nationals, including increased deportations to Haiti amid continued insecurity and humanitarian challenges.

The briefing will be moderated by Wade Henderson, former President and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and will feature representatives from Haitian Bridge Alliance, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International USA, and Human Rights First.

“Ending TPS for Haiti threatens to uproot families, destabilize communities, and place thousands of people at risk of return to dangerous conditions,” said Guerline Jozef, Executive Director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance. “As Haitian communities across the United States confront the consequences of these policies, Congress needs clear, firsthand information about what is happening and the human cost of these decisions. This briefing is an opportunity to ensure those realities are heard and to underscore the urgent need to protect lives and extend TPS.”

The briefing will examine:

• The impact of TPS termination on approximately 350,000 Haitian nationals living in the United States;
• The loss of work authorization and legal protections, including increased risks of detention and deportation;
• Recent ICE enforcement activities affecting Haitian communities;
• The increasing use of deportation flights to Haiti and concerns regarding conditions during removal;
• The security, humanitarian, and economic conditions facing people returned to Haiti;
• The effects of deportations on families, local economies, and U.S. industries that rely on Haitian workers;
• The impact on mixed-status families, including U.S. citizen children traveling with deported relatives;
• Haiti’s capacity to receive and support increasing numbers of returnees amid ongoing instability; and
• Legislative and congressional oversight opportunities concerning immigration enforcement, detention, electronic monitoring, and deportation practices.

The briefing will also address pending legislative proposals aimed at strengthening protections for immigrant communities and provide recommendations for congressional oversight of policies affecting Haitians in the United States and those being returned to Haiti.

EVENT DETAILS

WHAT: Congressional Briefing on TPS Termination and Humanitarian Risks Facing Haitians
WHEN: Wednesday, September 23, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. EST
WHERE: Room 562, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C.
MODERATOR: Wade Henderson, former President and CEO, Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
PARTICIPANTS: Haitian Bridge Alliance, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International USA, and Human Rights First

PRESS ACCESS: This is a closed-door congressional briefing. Press and media are not permitted to attend.

ABOUT HAITIAN BRIDGE ALLIANCE

Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA), also known as “The Bridge”, is a grassroots community organization that advocates for fair and humane immigration policies, foreign policy, and provides migrants and immigrants with humanitarian, legal, and social services, with a particular focus on Black migrants, the Haitian community, women and girls, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and survivors of torture and other human rights abuses. HBA also seeks to elevate the issues unique to Black migrants and builds solidarity and collective movement toward policy change. Anpil men chay pa lou (“Many hands make the load light”). Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook: @haitianbridge