New York City Council Member Farah N. Louis introduced three resolutions in the Council on September 10 that recognize Caribbean and Latin American culture and press the federal government to shield Haitian immigrants from deportation, among them a measure that would declare October as Reggaeton Heritage Month in New York City.
The reggaeton resolution, numbered Res 0625 and co-sponsored by Louis with Council Members Amanda Farías and Justin Sanchez, would honor the genre as an expression of Afro-Caribbean and Latin American identity and recognize New York’s role in the blend of cultures behind it, according to the Council’s stated meeting agenda. Louis represents Brooklyn’s 45th Council District and is the first Haitian and Bahamian American to serve on the New York City Council.
The resolution traces reggaeton’s roots to Afro-Caribbean communities in Panama, where Spanish-language adaptations of reggae developed in the late 1970s, notes the genre’s evolution in Puerto Rico and the influence of New York’s dancehall and hip-hop scenes, and cites the role of Panamanian artist El General, who moved to Brooklyn in 1985 and became involved in the city’s Caribbean music community, The New York Carib News reported.
A second resolution, Res 0624, co-sponsored by Louis with Council Members Rita C. Joseph and Mercedes Narcisse, would designate October 17 annually as Wyclef Jean Day in New York City to honor the Haitian-born musician’s musical and philanthropic contributions, per the Council agenda. Jean began his career in the late 1980s in the group that became the Fugees, alongside Lauryn Hill and Pras, later launched a solo career and founded the Yéle Haiti Foundation, a charitable organization established in 2001 to provide poverty relief, education and disaster assistance in Haiti, Caribbean Life reported.
The third measure, Res 0626, calls on the United States Senate to pass, and the President to sign, S.4814, which would require the Secretary of Homeland Security to designate Haiti for Temporary Protected Status, according to the Council agenda. The New York Carib News reported that the bill would designate Haiti for TPS through three months after January 20, 2029, and that the resolution cites United Nations figures showing nearly 1.47 million people displaced by violence and 5.8 million facing food insecurity in Haiti in 2026.
“Haiti is facing a profound humanitarian and security crisis, and sending Haitian families back into these conditions is unconscionable,” Louis said, Caribbean Life reported. “The introduction of the three resolutions speaks to the importance of protecting our people, honoring our culture, and preserving the communities we call home,” she said.
Senate Democratic Leader Charles E. Schumer has backed the federal legislation. “The Trump administration’s decision to cancel Temporary Protected Status for Haitians is cruel and counterproductive, especially as Haiti remains unstable and unsafe,” Schumer said, according to Caribbean Life. “Haitians living in the United States under TPS are legally working, paying taxes, and greatly boosting the state economy to the tune of $1.1 billion per year. I’m grateful to Council Member Farah Louis for her leadership in supporting my legislation to restore TPS for Haitians, and I urge Senate Republicans to join me in passing this bill ASAP.”
Louis represents the district’s communities of Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood, Flatlands, Kensington, Marine Park and Canarsie. She is the first woman to chair the Council’s Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises and has secured more than $170 million in capital investments for the district, including the first women’s health center on Flatbush Avenue and the Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center.
The three resolutions are at different stages: the Reggaeton Heritage Month and Wyclef Jean Day measures were referred to the Committee on Cultural Affairs, Libraries and International Relations, and the Haitian TPS resolution was heard and laid over by the Committee on Immigration on September 22, The New York Carib News reported. Louis previously sponsored the Council resolution declaring July 26 as Haitian Konpa Day, which was adopted in December 2025.
Featured image: Courtesy council.nyc.gov
