WASHINGTON — Rep. Ayanna Pressley has forced a House vote.

The Boston congresswoman announced Friday that her discharge petition to extend Haitian Temporary Protected Status has reached the 218-signature threshold — the number needed to bypass Republican House leadership and bring the measure directly to the floor.

The motion, if passed, would require the Trump administration to extend TPS for Haiti for three years, shielding roughly 350,000 Haitian nationals from deportation. A floor vote is expected within the coming weeks. Whether the measure can pass a full floor vote — and survive a likely presidential veto — remains an open question.

"The success of this discharge petition is a testament to our collective organizing and the strength of our broad, diverse movement to affirm the humanity, dignity, and safety of our Haitian siblings," Pressley said in a statement. "The House must vote on this."

Temporary Protected Status is a federal designation that allows nationals from countries experiencing ongoing armed conflict, environmental disaster, or other extraordinary conditions to live and work legally in the United States. Haiti has held TPS designation since the 2010 earthquake.

The Trump administration terminated Haiti TPS in June 2025, setting up the potential deportation of hundreds of thousands of Haitians who have built lives in the U.S. — including a large community in Pressley's MA-7 district, which covers Boston, Cambridge, Somerville, and surrounding neighborhoods.

Federal courts have since temporarily blocked that termination, ruling it unlawful. The Supreme Court has also been asked to weigh in.

Discharge petitions are rare and require a simple majority — 218 signatures — to pull a bill to the floor without going through committee or receiving a green light from leadership. The petition received bipartisan support, meaning some House Republicans crossed the aisle to sign on.