Frontline healthcare workers on Friday, July 10, joined employers and advocates at the headquarters of labor union 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East (1199SEIU) to warn of a caregiver crisis in New York if Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians ends. "This is a cruel, heartless and inhumane policy that will rip parents away from their children and devastate whole communities," said Andy Cassagnol, executive vice president of 1199SEIU, the nation's largest healthcare union, with more than 450,000 members. "It will also exacerbate the existing worker shortages in nursing homes and home care programs. "Who will care for our seniors and individuals living with disabilities if TPS ends?" he asked. "Congress must take immediate action to keep families together—and ensure that our nursing home residents and home care consumers can continue to receive quality care from their dedicated caregivers." Kevin Thomas, president and CEO of the New York State Association of Health Care Providers, said: "Washington may see immigration policy. We see canceled visits, disrupted relationships, exhausted family caregivers, and vulnerable New Yorkers wondering whether someone will be there tomorrow. "That is the reality these decisions create," he added. Genevieve Artamin, a certified nursing assistant at a New York City nursing home and a 1199SEIU union delegate, said she has worked in the field for 38 years. "And I came here today to speak for the many nursing home workers with TPS status who cannot be here with us," she said. A 1199SEIU nursing home member with TPS status who wished to remain anonymous said she works as a housekeeper at a nursing home. "I get up at 5:00 a.m. every morning, and I take two buses to work to clean the rooms of the residents," she said. "I give my heart. These residents are like my grandmother. "I want to stay here in New York, where I can be safe and care for my residents," she added. "I cannot return to Haiti. It is not safe. I'm afraid that I would be killed if I return." Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with the Trump administration in Mullin v. Doe, allowing it to move forward with terminating TPS for thousands of Haitian and Syrian nationals. With at least 50,000 TPS holders working in healthcare in the United States, 1199SEIU warned that the court's 6-3 decision stripping those protections would "worsen existing staff shortages in the health and disability services sectors and disrupt long-term caregiving relationships for nursing home residents and home care consumers." New York State Nurses Association President Nancy Hagans said that, as a frontline nurse, she sees "firsthand the contributions immigrants make to our healthcare system and what happens when our immigrant patients delay care because of fear of going to our hospitals. "We are in solidarity with Haitian TPS holders and all our immigrant communities," she said. "NYSNA nurses care for all our patients, regardless of immigration status, and I am proud to reaffirm our commitment to not only care for them, but to advocate for immigrants to receive the dignity, respect, and justice all residents of this country deserve." Sebrina Barrett, president and CEO of LeadingAge New York, said the end of TPS for Haiti, Syria and other countries is "a blow to the aging services sector. "Thousands of TPS holders are valued employees who serve older adults and families in caregiving roles—as home care aides, certified nurse aides, nurses, therapists, and more," she said. "America's population is aging rapidly. At a time when the demand for long-term care and services continues to grow, implementing policies that reduce the sector's workforce stability, threaten continuity of care, and sever trusting relationships between consumers, caregivers, and families is simply a move in the wrong direction. "We urge policymakers to pursue solutions that protect these valued caregivers and the vulnerable New Yorkers who depend on them every day," Barrett added. On July 10, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services issued guidance instructing employers to use July 24, 2026, as a placeholder expiration date for the work authorizations of TPS holders from Haiti. But 1199SEIU said court orders preserving TPS and work authorization for those countries remain in effect until they are lifted. [caption id="attachment_84376" align="alignnone" width="700"] Andy Cassagnol, executive vice president of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, speaks during a July 10 news conference in New York, urging Congress to protect Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders and warning that ending the program would worsen staffing shortages in nursing homes and home care.Photo courtesy of 1199SEIU[/caption] Sabine French said she attended the rally because her 91-year-old mother, who struggles with mobility issues and vision loss, is fortunate enough to continue living in her own home "because of her wonderful home care aide, Murtha. "But Murtha is here under Temporary Protected Status, and she now lives with the constant fear that she could be forced to return to a country that is simply not safe for her," French said. "My mother is terrified of losing Murtha. Her quality of life would be devastated if Murtha were no longer able to care for her. "We have no idea what will happen to my mother's care, or to Murtha, if Congress fails to act," she added. "We must use our privilege as American citizens to speak up, because, if we remain silent, families like mine will pay the price." Stephen Hanse, president and CEO of the New York State Health Facilities Association and the New York State Center for Assisted Living, said New York's long-term care providers continue to face workforce shortages despite investments in recruitment, training, wage increases and retention initiatives. "Many of the individuals potentially affected by the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision affecting TPS are not simply employees—they are experienced caregivers who have become integral members of care teams in many skilled nursing and assisted living facilities throughout New York," he said. "These workers are essential as New York is home to one of the nation's largest and fastest-growing older adult populations, and demand for long-term care services continues to increase each year," Hanse added. With more than half of nurses currently reporting burnout, 1199SEIU said there are concerns that ending TPS will increase burnout levels "as remaining frontline staff will be forced to pick up extra shifts and increased duties if some of their current colleagues are no longer permitted to continue providing care." Lesley Pickersgill, vice president of residential services at Constructive Partnerships Unlimited, said that "for the people we support, having staff is not a luxury, it is essential. "Disruptions in staffing do not just affect daily routines, they impact health outcomes, personal progress, and overall quality of life," Pickersgill said. "The loss of TPS workers would significantly weaken our workforce across residential and day program settings, putting us at risk of massive instability." Mike Alvaro, president and CEO of CP State, described the Supreme Court ruling as "a threat to the direct support workforce who make disability services a reality for so many New Yorkers." He said TPS holders comprise almost 10% of the disability workforce in some areas of the state, including "our Direct Support Professionals (DSPs), our nurses, and other frontline caregivers working in a field faced with chronic understaffing. "Removing their legal authorization to work doesn't just affect TPS holders and their families, it further destabilizes the system supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities," Alvaro said. "CP State urges the New York Congressional delegation to recognize this is not only an immigration issue, but a disability services issue, and that they support swift passage of H.R. 1689 and H.R. 9523, to provide the kind of workforce stability that direct care, and the people who rely on it, require," he added.