The Trump administration's revocation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for countries including Honduras has forced thousands of healthcare workers out of their jobs, deepening shortages in an already strained US healthcare system and devastating patients who depended on them.
Janeth, a 50-year-old nursing assistant from Honduras who worked at a Kaiser Permanente hospital in the San Francisco Bay Area for 23 years, lost her job when TPS for Honduras ended in September 2025. She had won a prestigious national nursing award seven times. “I just want my job back, I just want my life back. I want to take care of my patients again,” she said.
Patients Feel the Loss
John Jacoby, whose mother Dolores was treated by Janeth for leukemia in 2012, was devastated to learn Janeth had lost her job. “That makes no sense,” he said. “They need to take her back for the patients. I just hope I don’t ever end up in a hospital bed without someone like [her] by my side.” Dolores was given three months to live but survived three years, a fact the family credits to Janeth's care.
Janeth’s former colleagues say her absence is deeply felt. A nurse at Kaiser said, “Not everyone has the heart to go above and beyond. There is a lack of joy and camaraderie that’s been prompted by her leaving.” Another nurse recalled Janeth turning “difficult patients” into her “biggest fans,” including a patient with alcoholism who refused care until Janeth won them over. “That kind of skillset you can’t ever replace,” the nurse said.
Healthcare Workforce at Risk
About one in six hospital workers directly involved in patient care is an immigrant, and an estimated 4% of hospital workers are not naturalized citizens, according to data cited by experts. FWD.us, an immigration advocacy organization, estimated that as of early 2025, nearly 1.3 million people in the US were on TPS, with at least 50,000 working in healthcare. US Citizenship and Immigration Services said it does not maintain data on TPS holders’ occupations.
Amina Dubuisson, vice-president of clinical services at Ventura Services Florida, which oversees nine nursing homes across Miami, said 20% to 30% of their workers are TPS holders. Each nursing home has 200 to 300 staff members. “They do a lot of the jobs that Americans don’t want to do,” she said, such as nursing assistants who clean and feed patients.
Policy Changes and Legal Battles
Since returning to office in 2025, the Trump administration has ended or attempted to end protected status for 13 of the 17 countries with TPS designations, including Honduras, Venezuela, Syria, and Haiti. The administration argues TPS has been abused. “TPS was never designed to be permanent, yet previous administrations have used it as a de facto amnesty program for decades,” said a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson.
In December 2025, a federal court ruled the termination of TPS for Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua was unlawful because DHS did not consult other agencies or review country conditions. However, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the revocation in February 2026, ending hope for a quick resolution for immigrants like Janeth.
Humanitarian Parole Program Ended
In June 2025, the Trump administration also ended the CHNV humanitarian parole program, which had allowed nearly 500,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans to enter the US. FWD.us estimated about 30,000 healthcare workers came through that program. DHS said the program allowed new arrivals to “compete for American jobs and undercut American workers,” but employers say the consequences have been severe.
Dr. Joseph Durandis, a Miami-based doctor, lost one of three medical assistants when the program ended. The assistant, a former doctor in Cuba, was “not replaceable.” Since then, patients wait longer for triage, causing annoyance and dropping satisfaction. “We are losing patients,” Durandis said.
Rachel Blumberg, president and CEO of Sinai Residences, a senior living facility in Boca Raton, Florida, said she had to pull aside nine staff members on CHNV, give them $2,000 each, and ask them to leave because they lost work authorization. “It felt like I had to do the dirty work of the government,” she said.
Supreme Court Case on Haitian TPS
TPS for Haiti remains in limbo. A federal judge blocked termination, but the government appealed, and the US Supreme Court is expected to rule soon. In oral arguments, lawyers for TPS holders argued discrimination, citing President Trump’s reference to Haiti and other countries as “shitholes.” Solicitor General John Sauer dismissed the argument, saying decisions were based on “problems of crime, poverty, welfare dependency.” DHS said “these decisions have nothing to do with race.”
Esther Birnbaum, 96, depends on Maryse Balthazar, a Haitian home health aide who came after the 2010 earthquake. “I can’t imagine my day-to-day life without her,” Birnbaum said. Balthazar said, “There is no plan B. This is where my life is, I wouldn’t know what to do if TPS isn’t protected.”
Marie Esther Duval, 55, runs an adult family home in Spokane, Washington, caring for four young women with severe mental illness. She came from Haiti in 2000 and risks losing her status. Her patients do not know. “These are people with chronic anxiety and depression. They won’t be able to handle this news,” she said.
Jhony Silva, who came from Honduras at age three, lost his job as a nursing assistant at Stanford hospital and had to drop out of nursing school. He is now a lead plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging the TPS revocation. “I’m going to use my voice to speak up about what’s going on, for people that can’t speak like me,” he said.
