WASHINGTON – After a bipartisan discharge petition secured the 218 signatures needed to force a House vote on legislation to extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti, Care for Seniors, Care for America – a national coalition of senior care providers, caregiver and care worker organizations, employers, and advocates – is calling on members of Congress to protect immigrant care workers, the aging services sector, and older adults who rely on both, and advance lasting immigration solutions.
At a time when the U.S. faces a growing care shortage, ending TPS will have immediate and far-reaching consequences. Thousands of workers could be forced out of the workforce overnight, disrupting care for families, destabilizing critical industries, and placing additional strain on providers and local economies, particularly as demand continues to rise with our aging population.
More than 300,000 Haitian TPS holders are part of the U.S. workforce, filling essential jobs in industries facing significant labor shortages. Roughly 200,000 are part of the care workforce, including thousands working as nursing assistants and home health aides. Granting work permits for this legally-employed, law-abiding, and long-term workforce provides the necessary certainty that our country, economy, and families rely on. “I have cared for disabled young adults and built real relationships with the people I supported,” said Margarita, home care worker and member of the National Domestic Workers Alliance and Venezuelan TPS recipient who was forced to return to Venezuela after losing protection. “When your status is taken away, everything becomes uncertain. Your work, your future, and the care people depend on all enter limbo. Care workers and the families that depend on them need stability, not fear.”
Saint Paul Paul, a member of SEIU-32BJ and a former airport worker, said, “I came to America with my five boys from Haiti because life there became impossible. TPS has been a lifeline for my five boys and me. Extending TPS for Haiti would mean I could get my union job back at the airport, so I could support my family. I work hard and do a good job. I also pay my taxes. I am proud to stand with my union, SEIU, and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley to fight this injustice.”
In addition to ending TPS for Haitians in the U.S., large-scale deportation plans and aggressive enforcement have further exacerbated and shrunk 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.
The House action marks an important step toward stability for Haitian families and for the older adults, disabled people, aging services providers, and families who receive care from immigrant workers.
Quotes from Coalition Partners:
Elissa Sherman, President of LeadingAge Massachusetts:
“Extending Temporary Protected Status for Haiti is a humanitarian imperative that is critical for our aging services workforce in Massachusetts and across the country. As our population ages and the demand for long-term services and supports continues to grow, our ability to provide high-quality care depends on a stable, dedicated workforce. Foreign-born caregivers, including many from Haiti, are an essential part of that workforce, bringing skill and compassion to the care of older adults. A three-year extension of TPS will provide critical stability for these workers and the providers who rely on them, ensuring that older adults across Massachusetts can receive the care and dignity they deserve.”
Angela Bovill, CEO, Ascentria Care Alliance:
“Extending Haiti’s Temporary Protected Status for three years is a necessity for the American people and our economy. In Massachusetts, Haitian TPS holders are essential workers who care for our elders, support our health care system, and keep key industries running. Losing their work authorization would deepen workforce shortages, strain already fragile systems like long-term care, and remove millions from our local economy. At a time when stability is critical for both workers and employers, a three-year extension provides the certainty our communities and businesses need. This is a practical, values-driven decision that strengthens our workforce, our economy, and our Commonwealth.”
Rebecca Shi, Executive Director of the American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC):
“The bipartisan success of the Haitian TPS discharge petition is a powerful recognition that America’s families are unable to find the care they need, and the economy cannot grow without the expertise of our immigrant workforce. Work permits for law-abiding, taxpaying care workers are essential to meeting the growing demand for senior care in America, and this move by the House is a critical step toward providing the certainty employers and families need. These caregivers are highly skilled professionals who have built years of trust and expertise that simply cannot be replaced. We must use this momentum to advance lasting, bipartisan solutions that prioritize work permit extensions, because ensuring that seniors do not lose the safety, comfort, and dignity they deserve in aging is an economic and moral necessity that cannot be ignored.”
Jose Palma, Coordinator, National TPS Alliance:
“TPS holders are essential workers, caregivers, neighbors, and small business owners. We have paid taxes, bought homes, and built lives. We are part of the fabric of communities across the country. Protecting the Haiti TPS and all the TPS community is not only morally right, but it is also good for the US economy.”