Temporary protected status for thousands of immigrants is set to expire this week. Home care providers say this goes beyond just TPS holders losing their legal ability to work; thousands of caregivers could disappear from an industry they say is already desperately short-staffed.
The Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts represents around 200 home care, home health and hospice providers across the state. CEO Jake Krilovich says this means thousands of caregivers would need to be replaced, making it harder for seniors and people with disabilities to receive care.
“A home giver can conduct four to six visits a day so even if you are an employer and you have 3 workers that might not seem like a lot but you kind of do the math and realize how many visits you have to look to replace in any given week,” said Krilovich.
There are more than 40,000 TPS holders across the state, a majority of those TPS holders are Haitian. Immigration Attorney Andrew Thomas tells me it’s been a challenge explaining to some TPS holders to plan their future around two-week increments.
“It’s also been very challenging to families as a whole understanding that they have family members who will lose their source of livelihood in some cases, these are family members that are breadwinners of their families,” said Thomas.
The White House has defended their decision to end TPS, saying status is intended to be temporary and that conditions in some countries no longer justify continued protected status.
Back in June, a Supreme Court ruling upheld the administration’s decision to change a protective status designation.
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