More than 100 members of the U.S. Congress, all Democrats, continue to press for an extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians as well as immigrants from several other countries.
At the initiative of several lawmakers from various states, including Senators Edward J. Markey and Elizabeth Warren, congressional leaders are urging the administration to reverse TPS terminations and immediately extend protections for current beneficiaries.
At the initiative of several lawmakers from various states, including Senators Edward J. Markey and Elizabeth Warren, congressional leaders are urging the administration to reverse TPS terminations and immediately extend protections for current beneficiaries.
They argue that this decision would severely weaken a health sector already under strain.
“While President Trump and Republicans in Congress are dismantling the health care safety net, causing hospital and nursing home closures and layoffs across the country, the health care system cannot withstand another blow,” they write.
In a letter to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Department of Labor (DoL), the lawmakers request a precise assessment of the impact of these terminations on the health care workforce and access to care by October 13, 2025.
They stress that ending TPS would impact critical occupations—such as home health aides, personal care aides, and nursing home staff—just as demand is surging with the aging of the U.S. population.
Worrying figures: 570,000 people affected, major economic weight
The signatories note that approximately 570,000 TPS holders contribute $21 billion to the U.S. economy and pay $5.2 billion in taxes annually.
The signatories highlight that approximately 570,000 TPS holders contribute $21 billion annually to the U.S. economy and $5.2 billion in taxes, and that TPS-designated nationals are disproportionately present in healthcare—one study estimates 15% of non-citizen healthcare workers come from these countries.
In Massachusetts alone, about 5,000 TPS holders are employed in nursing homes, the signatories noted.
“By ending TPS for several countries, President Trump is destabilizing immigrant families who are here legally, while threatening to remove thousands of home health aides, nursing assistants, and other essential health care workers who care for our aging population,” the lawmakers warn. They cite concrete cases: a senior complex in Virginia says it risks losing 65 employees; a facility in Florida estimates that 8% of its workforce is at risk; in Massachusetts, an industry association anticipates 2,000 positions in jeopardy, and a post-acute care provider reports 96 employees with TPS whose employment is now uncertain.
They note that, since the pandemic, nursing and residential care facilities have lost more than 400,000 employees, while demand for home health aides, personal care aides, and nursing assistants is projected to rise by 35% to 41% between 2022 and 2037. Disrupting patient–caregiver relationships could worsen caseloads and accelerate burnout.
Ending TPS: a growing list of terminations
Since the start of President Trump’s second term, DHS has announced—or restarted—TPS terminations for several countries, notably Syria, Nepal, Honduras, and Nicaragua, with effective dates published in the Federal Register.
These announcements, combined with revisions to other designations for Haitians and Venezuelans, are fueling concern among health care providers about an unprecedented, colossal loss of experienced staff.
The lawmakers also link the end of TPS to other federal budget measures, pointing to projected Medicaid cuts in the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” passed by Congress several months ago.
They argue that ending TPS, combined with budget cuts, would form a ‘perfect storm’ that threatens facility closures and reduced care quality for older adults and vulnerable patients. The lawmakers assert that TPS terminations will further deplete the healthcare workforce and increase the risk of coverage loss.
In addition to Markey, Warren, and Van Hollen, the letter is signed by 105 lawmakers. Among the senators: Cory Booker, Tammy Duckworth, Kirsten Gillibrand, Amy Klobuchar, Alex Padilla, Bernie Sanders, Tina Smith, Mark Warner, Adam Schiff (in the Senate since 2025), and Andy Kim. In the House: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Pramila Jayapal, Ritchie Torres, Nydia Velázquez, Seth Moulton, Jerrold Nadler, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Jan Schakowsky, Eric Swalwell, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Rashida Tlaib, Bennie Thompson, among others. The signatories formally request that the agencies respond by October 13, 2025, with an impact analysis.
