ABIC Action, LeadingAge, National TPS Alliance, SEIU, and National Domestic Workers Alliance Launch “Care for Seniors, Care for America” Campaign to Protect Elder Care Workforce
WASHINGTON – Today, leading immigration advocates, aging-services providers, and labor organizations launched the “Care for Seniors, Care for America” campaign at a press conference highlighting the critical role immigrant workers play in elder care and the urgent threat posed by the impending termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti.
The event brought together Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D–FL-10), Congressional Black Caucus Chair Rep. Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY-09), and representatives from the American Business Immigration Coalition Action, LeadingAge, National TPS Alliance, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), National Domestic Workers Alliance, Haitian Bridge Alliance, Black Alliance for Just Immigration, National Immigration Law Center, and Goodwin Living to sound the alarm on the February 3 TPS expiration deadline.
To view a recording of the press conference, click here.
At the press conference, Rep. Frost announced that members of the Haiti Caucus and the Congressional Black Caucus are introducing a discharge petition to force a vote in the House on extending TPS for Haiti.
If TPS expires, over 350,000 Haitian nationals will face deportation, including the healthcare workers who are essential to America’s elder care system. TPS holders represent 15% of all noncitizen healthcare workers, with over 20% of Haitians nationwide employed in healthcare roles. Their removal would devastate an already strained care infrastructure where immigrants comprise 1 in 4 long-term care workers and over 30% of nursing home support roles.
This comes as the U.S. population aged 65+ will grow 50% by 2050, yet the nation already faces a projected shortage of 3.5 million healthcare workers by 2030. Deporting TPS holders would impact local economies, destabilize care facilities, and leave vulnerable seniors without the consistent care they deserve.
The “Care for Seniors, Care for America” campaign aims to advance solutions, including:
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Work permits for the long-term critical workforce supporting elder care
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Protection of the safety, dignity, and well-being of America’s seniors
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Prevention of devastating economic consequences from mass deportations
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Strengthening the workforce that enables dignified care for aging Americans
Coalition members emphasized that law-abiding immigrant workers are essential to sustain operations and support economic growth amid severe labor shortages that make it increasingly challenging for care providers to operate.
Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D–FL-10):
“Haitians in this country that are on TPS are not burdening taxpayers. They’re actually an asset to our nation. They are the people taking care of our seniors, the people taking care of our children, the people who are helping our economy. They’re paying more in taxes than they’re taking out. And I think it’s very important for people to recognize how much immigrants, how much TPS holders specifically, and how much Haitian TPS holders contribute to our economy.”
Arnoldo Diaz, Co-Coordinator of the National Temporary Protected Status (TPS) Alliance:
“TPS holders are essential contributors in the US economy, filling labor gaps in health care, construction, hospitality and education…Yet, the current administration persists in terminating TPS, threatening over 1.5 million TPS holders with deportation and stripping protections from long-term contributors.”
Luis Zaldivar, Project Director, American Business Immigration Coalition Action:
“TPS recipients and Deferred Enforcement Departure recipients living in the United States contribute $4.6 billion in taxes, including personal income, property sales and excise taxes. TPS and DED holders contribute $690 million each year into Social Security, and that is something that all Americans care about, and most importantly, all seniors care about. Today, we’re launching this campaign, “Care for Seniors, Care for America,” because the loss of TPS for Haiti and potentially later this year, El Salvador and other nations, will mean the loss of beloved caretakers in senior homes all around the country.”
Rep. Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY-09), Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus:
“Haitians of all ages have planted and grown roots in the United States over the past 15 years, and we have seen Haiti go through so many crises just within the past couple of decades, and now to risk being removed from safe communities that have embraced them, their work, their families, and having their lives uprooted is a special type of cruelty. These are people who have raised their children, started businesses, contributed to their communities, at no risk of deportation for no other reason other than being Haitian. And these are the parents of the workers, the caregivers, the faith leaders who are deeply rooted in communities and essential to our communities.”
Katie Smith Sloan, President and CEO, LeadingAge:
“The aging services workforce has, for years, been highly dependent on an immigrant workforce. 28% of the direct care workforce is foreign-born. As the number of older adults in our country grows rapidly, the demand for care and services grows with it, much of that care will be delivered by paid, trained and compassionate caregivers. We cannot hope to deliver the level of care needed without an adequate workforce, without workers, there simply is no care. The reversal of TPS status for patients is an enormous setback. Relationships broken, jobs lost and growing gaps in available staff, and this comes on top of lengthy backlogs and visa approvals and the curtailing or suspending altogether of refugee admissions.”
Teofila Liriano, homecare worker, member, National Domestic Workers Alliance:
“This work is very demanding. We are the handkerchief for the tears of our patients. We take them to the doctor, we help dress them, we make their beds. We do everything that they can no longer do…The need is immense.”
Rob Liebreich, CEO, Goodwin Living:
“They are our neighbors, our caregivers, our construction workers, our child care providers and the backbone industries already stretched thin. They came here legally, so let us provide a legal pathway for them to stay, thrive and continue to contribute to America. In our field, we need 3.5 million more workers, not 350,000 less workers…Nearly one-fifth of the Haitian community living in the United States works in the healthcare field. Without a reversal of this TPS termination on February 3, our country may face a healthcare national crisis. We will certainly face dramatic care inflation, a significant rise in the cost of care and senior living in healthcare…I urge you, Mr President, and elected leaders to extend temporary protective status for Haiti for the sake of American elders, American families, American businesses, and our American future.”
Irma Canan, resident, Goodwin House:
“Not everyone is well-suited to working with frail and ill elderly. We are grateful for those who support us. We need more for our elders, not less…Caregivers provide needed assistance, comfort, kindness and often, companionship. These are human connections. The relationship between patient and caregiver can flower into a loving friendship which has its own value in healing or helping someone who is dying make a more gentle passage from this life. The future of our elders, our families and ourselves, no matter what our current age, depends on supportive, loving care at the end of life. Why would anyone want to break this mutually meaningful bond? We are a nation of immigrants. We need each other. We help each other. This is a moment where we test our values. I hope our representatives and our government will do the right thing.”
Ronald Claude, Policy and Legislative Director, Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI):
“Giving up is not an option. Accepting this disruption, the separation of families, the breaking apart of schools and workplaces, the tearing of our community’s fabric, is not acceptable. BAJI’s push now is not to the White House, it’s to Congress, and our demand is clear, no more temporary solutions. We need permanent protections.”
Monica Vargas, reading for Guerline Jozef, Executive Director, Haitian Bridge Alliance:
“Many of these individuals have built lives here. They have homes, businesses, pay their taxes, invest in our economy, enrich our communities and our culture, and have become our neighbors, caretakers, friends and family. This is not just a political issue, it’s a human issue. Regardless of your stance, imagine being forced to return to a country where safety is a distant memory and survival is uncertain.”
Katia Guillaume, Service Employees International Union, SEIU:
“A large population of our members are Haitian and have Temporary Protected Status. They have been working and living here lawfully since 2010 and have been there for our members and our patients during the darkest times and now face layoffs, potential deportation and detentions. Let’s take a look at what February 4 would look like if the proposed extension doesn’t happen, what would happen to our hospitals? Cancellations of important surgeries, clients not able to get the valued care that they need from their personal care assistants, and residents in nursing homes would not be waking up to their favorite CNA.”
For more information about the “Care for Seniors, Care for America” campaign, click here or contact abicpress@fgsglobal.com.
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About ABIC Action:
We were created to mobilize the power of American businesses and the general public to promote and advocate for sensible immigration solutions. ABIC Action will develop and advocate for legislation, regulations, and government programs that promote common-sense state and federal immigration reform to benefit the people and economy of our country. ABIC Action operates under federal income tax under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC).
About LeadingAge:
We represent more than 5,300 nonprofit and mission-driven aging services providers serving older adults and touching millions of lives every day. From our national headquarters in Washington, DC and in collaboration with our state partners representing members active in 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, we use advocacy, education, applied research, and community-building to make America a better place to grow old. Our membership encompasses the entire continuum of aging services, including skilled nursing, assisted living, memory care, affordable housing, retirement communities, adult day programs, hospice, Programs of All Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) and home-based care. We bring together the most inventive minds in the field to lead and innovate solutions that support older adults wherever they call home. For more information, visit leadingage.org.
About the Campaign:
“Care for Seniors, Care for America” is a movement to protect the circle of care that sustains generations—celebrating the resilience of caregivers, the devotion of families, and the strength of our communities. By supporting policies that protect caregivers’ rights, we ensure that seniors remain safe, families remain supported, and the care workforce can continue to thrive.