A coalition of approximately 400 New York nursing homes is urging the Trump administration to reconsider its decision to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for thousands of Haitian workers, warning that the move will significantly destabilize the workforce and negatively affect the care provided to elderly residents.
Under the TPS program, individuals from countries experiencing humanitarian crises are permitted to live and work in the United States. For Haitians, this status was initially granted following the devastating 2010 earthquake. However, the administration recently terminated the designation, rendering the work permits of many of these individuals invalid.
Stephen Hanse, president and CEO of the New York State Health Facilities Association and the New York State Center for Assisted Living, stated in a letter to Homeland Security Director Markwayne Mullin that New York has the highest proportion of immigrant direct care workers in the nation, with 40,000 Haitian TPS holders. He noted that approximately 7,000 of these individuals work as nursing assistants and direct care givers.
Hanse emphasized that New York is also home to one of the country's most rapidly aging populations, and nursing homes are already facing challenges in meeting state staffing mandates. He cautioned that a significant reduction in the available workforce could make it more difficult to serve existing and new residents, potentially creating a ripple effect that could strain local hospitals and the broader healthcare system.
He requested that Mullin consider exempting Haitian nursing aides from losing their TPS status while they pursue other avenues to remain in the U.S.
Institutions such as the Archdiocese of New York, which operates eight nursing facilities, and Jewish not-for-profit organizations managing homes for the aged have also appealed for relief.
Some affected Haitian workers have already been terminated from their positions. Scott LaRue, president and CEO of Archcare, the healthcare ministry for the Archdiocese of New York, reported that about 30 staff members have been impacted. He stated that several of these employees have worked for the organization for over 15 years and have established deep roots in the community. "The elimination of TPS status appears to have been undertaken without adequate consideration of its impact on our health care system and has been deeply harmful to our employees and their families," LaRue said, adding that such a decision should have been made only after careful evaluation of its consequences and a clear plan for backfilling positions.
The Northern Metropolitan Foundation, a Jewish-run organization operating three nursing care facilities in Rockland County, indicated that between 40 and 60 Haitian employees, representing 15% of its caregiver staff, are affected. Gedalia Klein, CEO of the Northern Metropolitan Foundation/Northern Services Group, noted that some Haitian staffers provided through employment agencies have been let go, while others directly employed and represented by the 1199 Health Care workers union are seeking legal assistance to continue their employment. Klein described the situation as having "unintended consequences."
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has also formally expressed strong opposition to the termination of TPS protections for Haitians in a letter to Mullin.
However, officials from the Department of Homeland Security defended the decision. A DHS spokesperson stated, "If people want to come to our country to work, they need to do that by coming here the legal way. The days of open borders, de facto amnesty, and releasing unvetted aliens into American communities and allowing criminals to terrorize American citizens are over." The spokesperson further asserted that the claim that the healthcare industry can only be supported by allowing "unvetted illegal aliens to remain in the country is grossly false and lazy."
US Citizens and Immigration Services spokesman Zach Kahler characterized the reversal of TPS as "common sense," arguing that under the Biden administration, TPS was used improperly, extending temporary protections beyond their intended scope and undermining the legal immigration system. Congress established TPS through the Immigration Act of 1990, allowing the federal government to grant temporary protections to individuals already in the U.S. when their home countries face conditions, such as war or natural disaster, that make safe return difficult. Former President Barack Obama first designated Haiti for TPS in 2010 after a catastrophic earthquake.