WASHINGTON – In response to the February 2, 2026, U.S. District Court decision blocking the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians, Care for Seniors, Care for America – a national coalition of senior care providers, caregiver and care worker organizations, employers, and advocates – released the following statement:
“This week’s court decision offers temporary relief to immigrant care workers and their families who serve older adults, people living with disabilities, and communities nationwide. District Judge Ana C. Reyes noted in her 83-page ruling that ending TPS for Haitians would cause irreparable harm by turning over 350 thousand lawful immigrants into unlawful immigrants overnight.
When courts step in to prevent the abrupt loss of legal status for care workers, they help protect the continuity of care that seniors, people with disabilities, and families depend on, often for years at a time.
However, temporary relief is not the same as stability. Prolonged legal limbo, driven by repeated appeals and shifting deadlines, continues to disrupt the care workforce and the communities that rely on it. One in three home care workers is an immigrant; foreign-born workers in other aging services care settings comprise 21% of the residential care aide workforce, 21% of the nursing assistant workforce, and 30.3% of the nursing home housekeeping and maintenance workforce.
When care workers are forced to live under constant threat of losing work authorization or being removed from their communities, care relationships fracture, providers struggle to deliver much-needed services, and seniors face sudden gaps in care.
As TPS decisions for other countries remain unresolved, Care for Seniors, Care for America will continue to call for lasting solutions that recognize a simple truth: when care workers are protected, seniors are safer, families are stronger, providers are supported, and communities are more resilient.”
More than 200,000 Haitian TPS holders are part of the U.S. workforce, filling essential jobs in industries facing significant labor shortages, including more than 20% employed in healthcare. The termination of TPS creates unnecessary problems for American families. The solution is clear: work permits for the law-abiding, long-term workforce that our country, our economy, and our families rely on.
Large-scale deportation plans and aggressive enforcement threaten to shrink the direct care workforce by nearly 400,000 jobs over four years, putting more older adults and people with disabilities at risk of losing vital in-home support. With long waitlists and severe workforce shortages already straining providers and families, any additional disruption breaks care relationships and leaves people without the support they need to remain safe at home.