The Trump administration’s plan to remove temporary protected status (TPS) for Haitian and Syrian immigrants in the US, upheld by the Supreme Court in late June, is expected to exacerbate the country’s growing shortage of caregivers, experts say.

The US is currently experiencing its fastest increase in the aging population in over a century, with projections indicating that more than 20% of Americans will be 65 or older by 2030. However, the caregiver workforce has not expanded at the same rate, leading to significant staffing shortages.

Immigrants constitute about one in six workers nationwide but represent roughly 30% of caregivers in long-term care settings. These caregivers, including nurses and aides working in hospitals, facilities, and homes, come from at least 163 countries. Haitian immigrants alone make up 7% of this workforce, according to LeadingAge, a national association of non-profit aging service providers.

Lisa Sanders, vice-president of communications at LeadingAge, emphasized the critical role of foreign-born staff: “Foreign-born staff are significant contributors to care and services our members provide, and that older adults and their families rely on. Without staff, there is no care.”

Nixon Pierre-Louis, a Haitian-American licensed practical nurse working two jobs in Delaware, warned that allowing TPS to expire will force many Haitians to stop working, worsening the caregiving crisis. He noted, “They depend on you… The clients and the residents are also going to suffer because there is no one to take care of them, and that can also lead to illness and infection.”

Despite immigration crackdowns, the overall number of immigrant workers has remained relatively stable, though the workforce composition has shifted, according to a report from the nonpartisan health policy organization KFF. Retaining experienced home care workers remains a challenge, with 70% to 80% of new employees leaving within about three months.

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