WASHINGTON — Massachusetts Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley claimed that “one in five healthcare workers are Haitian” while pushing a bill to extend Temporary Protected Status. The internet did not let it slide.
The real number, per the pro-immigration American Immigration Council: 0.6%. Not 20%. Not 10%. Not even 1%.
Fox News’ Bill Melugin had the honors:
That is not even remotely close to being true or accurate. Haitians are not 20% of the US heath care workforce.— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) April 17, 2026
According to the pro-immigration American Immigration Council, Haitians make up 0.6% of the healthcare workforce in the U.S.
Source: https://t.co/gEQyuIv6fj pic.twitter.com/placeholder
Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA). Photo: Instagram
Pressley said the stat “resonated with a lot of people.” It may have resonated — but it was off by a factor of 33.
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The bill
The House voted 224–204 to pass her bill (H.R. 1689), extending Haiti’s TPS until January 2029. Ten Republicans crossed over. The White House says Trump would veto it. Senator Katie Britt called it dead on arrival in the Senate.
Pressley celebrated by saying Congress “stood on the right side of history.” She did not address the healthcare claim.
The “temporary” part
Haiti got TPS in January 2010 after a devastating earthquake. It was supposed to last 18 months. That was 16 years ago.
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U.S. Coast Guard with Haitian migrants. Photo: U.S. Coast Guard / Public Domain
Since then it’s been renewed under Obama, Trump, and Biden. The Biden administration expanded eligibility, growing the program to roughly 348,000 people. Pressley’s bill would lock it in until 2029 — at which point Haiti’s “temporary” status will be old enough to vote.
To be clear: Haitian TPS holders contribute an estimated $5.8 billion to the economy and pay $1.5 billion in taxes annually. Those numbers are real, sourced from a pro-immigration group, and make a solid case on their own. Pressley didn’t need to inflate them by 3,300%.
Back home
Pressley represents Massachusetts’ 7th District — parts of Boston, Cambridge, and surrounding communities. The state has one of the largest Haitian diasporas in the country, concentrated in Mattapan, Brockton, and Randolph. The Supreme Court hears arguments on Haitian and Syrian TPS on April 29.
The TPS fight matters here. But it works better when the numbers are real.
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