BOSTON - Tuesday, August 4, 2026 - Today Mayor Michelle Wu and City Councilor At-Large Ruthzee Louijeune submitted a letter to the U.S. Senate urging them to immediately pass S. 4814, a bill sponsored by Senator Ed Markey, co-sponsored by Senator Elizabeth Warren and 29 additional U.S. Senators, that would extend TPS for Haiti through early 2029. The Republican-controlled House passed an analogous bill, H.R. 1689, in April. The letter warns that Congressional action is now necessary to restore legal status and work authorization to more than 350,000 Haitian TPS holders, following the Supreme Court’s decision in Mullin v. Doe and one of the largest de-legalization events in U.S. history.
“Congress has the power to protect our communities and prevent this devastation for our families and economy by extending TPS,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “Thousands of Haitians have lived and worked lawfully in Boston and are part of the fabric of our city. Together with Councilor Ruthzee Louijeune and mayors from across the country, we are calling on Congress to act now.”
“Unless Congress acts now, the Trump Administration will soon begin to enforce one of the largest de-legalization events in U.S. history, hurting our economy and putting families at risk of deportation and physical violence,” said Boston City Councilor At-Large Ruthzee Louijeune. “Local leaders across America know that this unjustified attack on the Haitian community will destabilize our workforce, raise the cost of living, and subject parents and children to the lawless violence of an out-of-control federal government.” The letter notes that the federal government’s own assessment is that Haiti’s conditions are unsafe, justifying the extension of TPS. The State Department currently maintains a “Do Not Travel” advisory for Haiti, and the FAA has barred U.S. air carriers from flying into Port-au-Prince, citing rampant violence and widespread kidnapping risk. More than 8,100 killings were documented in Haiti between January and November of 2025 alone. Communities like Boston will be harmed if TPS’s expiration is allowed to continue, putting 350,000 people at risk of immediate removal from the country. Haitian TPS holders contribute between $4.4 billion and $5.9 billion annually to the U.S economy and fill critical roles in the healthcare sector and other essential industries nationwide. Terminating TPS threatens to divide families, disrupt local economies, strain healthcare and education systems, overwhelm public services, and leave local governments to deal with the fallout.
“I am grateful and encouraged by Mayor Wu’s letter supporting S. 4814. As she noted, ending TPS would separate families, weaken our economy, strain an already overburdened workforce, and cause deep emotional harm across our communities,” said Dr. Geralde Gabeau, Founder and Chief Executive Office of Immigrant Family Services Institute (IFSI). “The impact extends far beyond 350,000 Haitian TPS holders. Congress must act now. We urge our senators to join Mayor Wu, Councilor Louijeune, and the 102 additional signatories to this letter by supporting TPS and passing S. 4814.”
The full list of mayors, cities, and counties who joined the letter is below.
Michelle Wu, Mayor of Boston Ruthzee Louijeune, Boston City Councilor At-Large
Additional Signatories
The City of Albany, New York The City of Burlington, Vermont The City of Cambridge, Massachusetts The Town of Chapel Hill, North Carolina The City of Chelsea, Massachusetts The City of Chicago, Illinois The City of Cincinnati, Ohio The City and County of Denver, Colorado The City of Fitchburg, Massachusetts The Village of Hempstead, New York The City of Lima, Ohio The City of New York, New York The City of Omaha, Nebraska The City of Portland, Oregon The County of Santa Clara, California The City of Seattle, Washington The City of Somerville, Massachusetts The City of Spokane, Washington The City of Worcester, Massachusetts
Mayors
Jim Ross Mayor, City of Arlington, Texas
Michael Cahill Mayor, City of Beverly, Massachusetts
Joseph Ganim Mayor, City of Bridgeport, Connecticut
John Cowen Mayor, City of Brownsville, Texas
Sumbul Siddiqui Mayor, City of Cambridge, Massachusetts
Jess Anderson Mayor and Town Council, Town of Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Brandon Johnson Mayor, City of Chicago, Illinois
Aftab Pureval Mayor, City of Cincinnati, Ohio
Justin Bibb Mayor, City of Cleveland, Ohio
Barbara Buffaloe Mayor, City of Columbia, Missouri
Andrew Ginther Mayor, City of Columbus, Ohio
Gay Lynn Bennion Mayor, City of Cottonwood Heights, Utah
Derrick Henry Mayor, City of Daytona Beach, Florida
Leonardo Williams Mayor, City of Durham, North Carolina Daniel Biss Mayor, City of Evanston, Illinois
Theresa Rich Mayor, City of Farmington Hills, Michigan
Christina Muryn Mayor, City of Findlay, Ohio
Samantha Squailia Mayor, City of Fitchburg, Massachusetts
Harvey Ward Mayor, City of Gainesville, Florida
Michael J. Nicholson Mayor, City of Gardner, Massachusetts
James Solomon Mayor, Jersey City, New Jersey
Mayor Quinton Lucas Mayor, City of Kansas City, Missouri
Keith Sydnor Mayor, City of Laurel, Maryland
Kyle Schlachter Mayor, City of Littleton, Colorado
Jack Bradley Mayor, City of Lorain, Ohio
Jared Nicholson Mayor, City of Lynn, Massachusetts
Gary Christenson Mayor, City of Malden, Massachusetts
Annette Blackwell Mayor, City of Maple Heights, Ohio
Girmay Zahilay County Executive, Martin Luther King Jr. County, Washington
Breanna Lungo-Koehn Mayor, City of Medford, Massachusetts
Jennifer Grigoraitis Mayor, City of Melrose, Massachusetts
D.J. Beauregard Mayor, City of Methuen, Massachusetts
Eileen Higgins Mayor, City of Miami, Florida
Jacob Frey Mayor, City of Minneapolis, Minnesota
Wayne Messam Mayor, City of Miramar, Florida
Shawyn Patterson-Howard Mayor, City of Mount Vernon, New York
Phillip Jones Mayor, City of Newport News, Virginia
Marc Laredo Mayor, City of Newton, Massachusetts
Angelo Castillo Mayor, City of Pembroke Pines, Florida
Adrian Mapp Mayor, City of Plainfield, New Jersey
Keith Wilson Mayor, City of Portland, Oregon
Brett Smiley Mayor, City of Providence, Rhode Island
Janet Cowell Mayor, City of Raleigh, North Carolina
Joseph Begeny Mayor, City of Reynoldsburg, Ohio
Dominick Pangallo Mayor, City of Salem, Massachusetts
Todd Gloria Mayor, City of San Diego, California
Chad Jason Ashmore Mayor, City of Sesser, Illinois
Jake Wilson Mayor, City of Somerville, Massachusetts
Domenic J. Sarno Mayor, City of Springfield, Massachusetts
Regina Romero Mayor, City of Tucson, Arizona
Anne McEnerny-Ogle Mayor, City of Vancouver, Washington
William Reichelt Mayor, Town of West Springfield, Massachusetts
Joseph M. Petty Mayor, City of Worcester, Massachusetts
Local Government Leaders
Elizabeth Breadon Boston City Council President, District 9, City of Boston, Massachusetts
Julia Mejia City Councilor At-Large, City of Boston, Massachusetts
Erin Murphy City Councilor At-Large, City of Boston, Massachusetts
Henry Santana City Councilor At-Large, City of Boston, Massachusetts Gabriela Coletta Zapata City Councilor, District 1, City of Boston, Massachusetts
Ed Flynn, U.S. Navy (Retired) City Councilor, District 2, City of Boston, Massachusetts
John FitzGerald City Councilor, District 3, City of Boston, Massachusetts
Brian Worrell City Councilor, District 4, City of Boston, Massachusetts
Enrique Pepén City Councilor, District 5, City of Boston, Massachusetts
Benjamin Weber City Councilor, District 6, City of Boston, Massachusetts
Miniard Culpepper, Sr., Esq. City Councilor, District 7, City of Boston, Massachusetts
Sharon Durkan City Councilor, District 8, City of Boston, Massachusetts
Jeff Charnel City Councilor, City of Brockton, Massachusetts
Charles Carey Town Administrator, Town of Brookline, Massachusetts
William Moehle Supervisor, Town of Brighton, New York
Marc McGovern Vice Mayor and City Councilor, City of Cambridge, Massachusetts
Megan Bayer City Solicitor, City of Cambridge, Massachusetts
Catherine Zusy City Councilor, City of Cambridge, Massachusetts
Zach Klein City Attorney, City of Columbus, Ohio
Toni Preckwinkle President of the Board of Commissioners, County of Cook, Illinois
Burhan Azeem Vice Mayor and City Councilor, City of Cambridge, Massachusetts
Patricia Nolan City Councilor, City of Cambridge, Massachusetts
Jonathan Nieuwsma City Councilor, City of Evanston, Illinois
Natasha Megie-Maddrey City Councilor, Ward 4, City of Lynn, Massachusetts
Sameer Kanal City Councilor, City of Portland, Oregon
Mitch Green City Councilor, City of Portland, Oregon
Angelita Morillo City Councilor, City of Portland, Oregon
Dan Ryan City Councilor, City of Portland, Oregon
Pat McRae Supervisor, Charter Township of Redford, Michigan
David Chiu City Attorney, City and County of San Francisco, California |