Tlaib Leads Lawmakers Demanding Trump Administration Redesignate and Extend TPS for Yemen

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (MI-12) led 23 Members of Congress in a letter urging the Trump Administration to extend and redesignate Yemen for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is a humanitarian immigration program that allows foreign nationals to live and work in the United States if they cannot safely return to their home country due to war, natural disasters, or other extraordinary conditions.

“We write to emphasize the urgent need for the United States to extend and redesignate Yemen for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). The Department of Homeland Security’s baseless February 13, 2026, decision to terminate TPS for Yemen is utterly disconnected from the reality of the dire security and humanitarian conditions in the country,” the lawmakers wrote. “Approximately 1,380 Yemeni TPS-holders will face imminent arrest and deportation on May 4, 2026, if this termination is allowed to go into effect. Without prompt action to redesignate and extend TPS, these individuals, many of whom have established families, careers, and homes in the United States, will face life-threatening risks if forced to return to Yemen under current conditions.”

The situation on the ground in Yemen remains exceptionally dangerous, and the conditions necessary for safe and dignified return for TPS-holders are currently absent. Yemen continues to endure one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, resulting from over a decade of war, siege, and displacement. At least 17 million people—about half the population—continue to face acute food shortages, with 5.2 million people facing Phase 4 “Emergency” levels of food insecurity. Yemen is currently classified as a Level 4 zone by the U.S. Department of State (“Do Not Travel”), which explicitly warns against travel to “any part of Yemen,” citing threats of violence, ongoing civil war, kidnapping, landmines and unexploded ordinances, as well as the re-emergence of diseases like cholera, polio, and measles. The United States cannot, in good faith, send our neighbors back to these extremely dangerous conditions.

“Yemeni TPS holders across the United States are integral members of our communities. They are our friends, our family members, our coworkers, and our neighbors, from Michigan to Florida and New York to California. Revoking TPS would place these individuals in immediate danger and disrupt the communities and institutions that rely on their contributions and presence. Continued delay of extension and redesignation will put lives at risk, force families into precarious circumstances, and jeopardize the integrity of a program designed to protect vulnerable populations,” the lawmakers concluded.

The letter is signed by: Reps. Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), André Carson (IN-07), Greg Casar (TX-35), Yvette Clark (NY-09), Debbie Dingell (MI-06), Dwight Evans (PA-03), Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Jonathon Jackson (IL-01), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Henry “Hank” Johnson (GA-04), Timothy Kennedy (NY-26), Summer Lee (PA-12), James McGovern (MA-02), Gwen Moore (WI-04), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Mark Pocan (WI- 02), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Lateefah Simon (CA-12), and Shri Thanedar (MI-13).

The letter is endorsed by: Communities United for Status & Protection (CUSP), National Immigration Law Center, We Are CASA, Yemen Relief and Reconstruction Foundation, Win Without War, Muslims for Just Futures, Alianza Americas, Syrian Community Network, Hindus for Human Rights Action, Haitian Bridge Alliance, Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC), Arab American Heritage Council, Arab America, CAIR-Washington, United Church of Christ, Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative, Nicaraguan American Legal Defense and Education Fund (NALDEF), Syrian American Council, Multifaith Alliance, Peace Action, Center for Gender & Refugee Studies (CGRS), Peace Justice Sustainability NOW!, Migrant Roots Media, Western New York Peace Center, Las Américas Immigrant Advocacy Center, Progressive Democrats of America – Greater Middle East Alliances, The United Methodist Church – General Board of Church and Society, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), Yemeni American Merchants Association, RootsAction, Democratic Socialists of America, International Refugee Assistance Project, MADRE, United We Dream Network, Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees, MPower Change Action Fund, American Friends Service Committee, Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida, Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef), National Network of Arab American Communities, Arab American Institute, Church World Service, and U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants.

A full copy of the letter can be found here.

###