America's home health workforce is at risk from Trump's immigration crackdown
President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown threatens to shrink the workforce for one of America's fastest growing jobs: Home health and personal care aides.
Demand for such care is expected to swell as the US population ages, and the industry has increasingly relied on immigrants to fill home health positions. Foreign-born people comprise roughly one in five US workers, yet they account for more than 40% of home health aides and nearly 30% of personal care employment, according to US government data.
Trump's push to strip hundreds of thousands of foreign workers of work authorizations, ramp up deportations and curb immigration has providers and industry experts worried about their ability to hire and retain workers.
'The sector has been struggling to retain the workforce outside of immigration,' said Jeanne Batalova, a senior policy analyst at the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute. 'The impact will be felt in some cities and states very quickly with people losing their status.'
One senior living community in the mid-Atlantic region has already had half a dozen immigrant employees leave their jobs since March. The executive director of the community, who asked not to be identified for fear of backlash, said an estimated 5% to 10% of her facility's staff are believed to be working with temporary work permits — filling jobs in housekeeping, nutrition and other departments. The facility employs more than 300 people.
She said the departures, which reflected workers' worries about impending changes to immigration policy, have already caused disruptions and made residents nervous. The Supreme Court's latest decisions to allow the White House to end the legal status of roughly 850,000 people from places like Venezuela and Haiti, paired with other pending litigation, threaten to make things worse.
If all of her employees with temporary work permits are forced to leave their jobs, the executive director said they'd have to trim services or stop admitting new residents.
Katie Smith Sloan, chief executive officer of LeadingAge, which advocates for nonprofit aging services providers, said some member agencies are already notifying employees that they may be forced to let them go if the administration proceeds with plans to cancel work permits.
The Department of Homeland Security announced Thursday that over half a million parolees from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela were being notified that their status was being terminated. The government has encouraged those people to leave the US on their own.
'There is no shortage of American minds and hands to grow our labor force,' White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement. 'President Trump's agenda to create jobs for American workers represents this administration's commitment to capitalizing on that untapped potential while delivering on our mandate to enforce our immigration laws.'
Growing Need
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects home health and personal care aides, which is already the most common occupation in the country, will also be one of the fastest growing professions over the next decade – soaring 21% by 2033.
That depends on workers wanting the job. Hospitals, nursing homes and other providers are still scrambling to fill nearly 1.5 million open positions. And nearly two-thirds of home care workers leave their job within the first year of employment, an industry survey found.
The jobs are physically demanding and low paid. In 2024, home health and personal care aides made $34,990 annually — roughly half the average pay across all US occupations.
Even New York, which has the most home health and personal care aides adjusted for employment of any state by far, is struggling to keep up with demand.
'The shortage is entirely driven by bottomless demand,' said Bill Hammond, senior fellow for health policy at the think tank Empire Center for Public Policy. 'I'm not sure we can sustain it. We've already gotten to the point where there are more home health aides than there are fast-food counter workers and retail-sales clerks combined.'
Some states have sought ways to bolster the home health workforce, like paying friends and family members to serve as caregivers. Even so, immigration has played a key role in filling job openings in the space.
Trump recently acknowledged that farming and leisure and hospitality are feeling the impact of his immigration crackdown and vowed to address the issue.
Immigrant Workforce
The number of immigrants — legal and undocumented — working as home health aides jumped by 24% between 2018 and 2023, three times the rate of increase in the overall immigrant workforce, according to the Migration Policy Institute.
One of those workers is Parmah Njoh, 41, who makes at-home calls for Goodwin Living in the Washington region. Njoh, who moved to the US from Cameroon in 2019 with a visa and is now a US citizen, is one of the many African employees working at the senior-living and at-home care provider.
It's 'about the lives of these elderly people,' said Njoh. 'The importance here is the life of these adult people. Without us, I don't think they're going to do well.'
The Census Bureau estimates the number of people 65 and older will grow by roughly 8 million to 71 million by the end of the decade, and surpass 100 million people by 2075. While only a share of that group will require special care, many Americans with disabilities also need support.
'We have a shortage of care workers already, they're aging, and the pay is not attractive to bring people into these jobs,' said Cassandra Zimmer-Wong, an immigration policy analyst at the think tank Niskanen Center. 'That makes for a really dangerous scenario where people want to age at home, they want home health, there's demand, but we don't really have the supply.'
Saraiva and Caldwell write for Bloomberg.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time Magazine
29 minutes ago
- Time Magazine
Trump's Public Rebuke of Tulsi Gabbard's Statement on Iran
President Donald Trump has said that his Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, was "wrong" to say that Iran is not currently building a nuclear weapon. When asked about the claims made by his intelligence community, specifically Gabbard, Trump was clear, telling reporters on Friday: 'She's wrong.' In March, Gabbard testified in front of Congress that the intelligence community [IC] 'continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon, and Supreme Leader [Ali] Khamenei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program that he suspended in 2003. The IC continues to monitor, closely, if Tehran decides to reauthorize its nuclear weapons program." The testimony has resurfaced as Trump weighs his options regarding a potential U.S. involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict, as the Middle Eastern countries trade deadly missiles after Israel launched an operation against Iranian military targets and nuclear facilities on June 13. Read More: Iran Issues New Grave Warning, Says U.S. Involvement in Israel Conflict Would Be 'Very Dangerous for Everybody' Trump's latest comments echo those he made to reporters on Air Force One on June 17, when he said he did not 'care' about what Gabbard had testified earlier in the year. 'I don't care what she said, I think they were very close to having one,' Trump said of his belief that Iran was inching towards having a nuclear weapon. Central to Trump's stance regarding Israel's initial assault on Iran is his belief that Iran has been moving closer to nuclear capability. He has plainly said that 'Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.' Trump's stance, bolstered by a May 31 International Atomic Energy Agency report (that stated Iran had accumulated roughly 120 kg of uranium enriched to 60%, dangerously close to weapons-grade levels of 90%), undermines previous reports by U.S. intelligence, including that of Gabbard, a former Democrat. Read More: How Netanyahu Pushed Trump Toward War In response to Trump's new assertion that she was 'wrong' in her previous testimony, Gabbard took to social media on Friday, stating that her words had been taken out of context by "dishonest media." Gabbard maintains that she and Trump are on the same page. "The dishonest media is intentionally taking my testimony out of context and spreading fake news as a way to manufacture division," Gabbard said. "America has intelligence that Iran is at the point that it can produce a nuclear weapon within weeks to months, if they decide to finalize the assembly. President Trump has been clear that can't happen, and I agree." Attached to the post was a longer video of her testimony, which also included her claims that 'Iran's enriched uranium stockpile is at its highest levels and is unprecedented for a state without nuclear weapons.' Read More: The 5 Groups Hoping to Sway Trump on Iran Trump reportedly still has 'full confidence' in his intelligence team, according to White House communications director Steven Cheung, but the open disagreements between Trump and members of his Administration signal splinters over the Israel-Iran conflict. The President is facing questions from both within and outside the Republican party, as he weighs up his options during a self-imposed two-week deadline about whether the U.S. will intervene, despite him campaigning on staying out of wars overseas. Republican lawmakers Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky have both openly disapproved of any potential U.S. military intervention. Read More: Breaking Down the Feud Between Trump and Tucker Carlson Amid Divide Over Israel-Iran Conflict Meanwhile, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson—a long-time ally of Trump, who even hit the campaign trail with him in 2024—has also spoken out against any U.S. involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict. Carlson's initial comments prompted a blistering response from Trump, and their disagreement soon took a personal turn as the feud escalated. While the situation appears to have since settled—Trump said Carlson called and apologized for his 'strong' words—it's clear that the subject of the Israel-Iran conflict and how the U.S. should move forward is proving to be a divisive one.
The Hill
30 minutes ago
- The Hill
US moving B-2 bombers as Trump weighs Iran response: Reports
Department of Defense (DOD) officials are moving B-2 bombers across the Pacific as President Trump weighs intervening in Israel's war on Iran. Reports from Reuters say the 30,000-pound 'bunker buster bombs' will be stored on the island of Guam while Trump considers the possibility of striking Iran. The DOD referred The Hill's request for comment to the White House, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Flight tracking data shows several aircraft leaving Travis Air Force Base with B-2s following the president's statement allotting a two-week deadline for a decision on U.S. intervention in Iran. The bombers were originally being held in Missouri and would likely be used to damage the Fordo nuclear fuel enrichment plant in Iran. Fordo is Iran's second nuclear enrichment facility after Natanz, which was hit by Israeli forces on Friday. The attacks damaged the facility and furthered the Israeli objective to obliterate Iran's efforts to develop nuclear weapons of war. Israel on Saturday said it struck an Iranian nuclear facility in Isfahan and killed two additional top commanders as the clash between the two Middle Eastern countries expands. Israeli Air Force fighter jets later in the day also moved to strike military infrastructure in southwestern Iran, according to an Israeli military statement. Ahead of Saturday's strikes, Iran fired 40 drones overnight on Friday that were intercepted by Israel, according to the IDF. 'We've been able to take out a large amount of their launchers, creating a bottleneck — we're making it harder for them to fire toward Israel,' an Israeli military official told AP on the condition of anonymity. 'Having said all that, I want to say the Iranian regime obviously still has capabilities.' Earlier this week, Israel Defense Forces said they'd killed multiple top commanders and nine engineers working on Iran's nuclear projects. Trump said the conflict would continue until an 'UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER' was supported by Iran. However, the Iranian Supreme Leader said they would continue to defend themselves amidst the rubble. 'I would like to tell our dear nation that if the enemy senses that you fear them, they won't let go of you. Continue the very behavior that you have had up to this day; continue this behavior with strength,' Ali Khamenei wrote in a post on X.
CNBC
30 minutes ago
- CNBC
Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil returns home to New York area
NEWARK, N.J. —After more than three months in ICE detention, Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil returned to the New York area where his harrowing ordeal first began. Immigration authorities had arrested Khalil, 30, in March at the university housing complex where he lived in New York City. He was quickly transported thousands of miles away to a detention center in Louisiana, where he spent the last few months. Khalil remained defiant as he spoke to reporters and supporters on Saturday afternoon upon his arrival at Newark International Airport. "Your messages have kept me going. Still the fight is far from over, the genocide is still happening in Gaza, Israel is still waging a full war against Palestine," said Khalil, who was flanked by his wife Dr. Noor Abdalla and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. "The U.S. government is funding this genocide and Columbia University is investing in this genocide. This is why I was protesting, this is why I will continue protesting with every one of you, not only if they threaten me with detention. Even if they would kill me, I would still speak up for Gaza." When asked what his message would be to the Trump administration, Khalil said, "Just the fact that I'm here sends a message." "The fact that all of these attempts to suppress pro-Palestine voices have failed now," he said. "This is the message. My existence is a message." Ocasio-Cortez said Khalil's imprisonment for politically motivated. "Everybody agrees that persecution based on political speech is wrong and is a violation of all of our First Amendment rights, not just Mahmoud's," she said. His unprecedented detention has sparked national outrage. Further fueling the controversy, Abdalla, an American, gave birth to the couple's first son in April while he remained behind bars. Upon his release in Louisiana on Friday, Khalil addressed reporters briefly, saying he was excited to return to New York City and see his family. "Although justice prevailed," he said upon his release, "it's long, very long overdue. And this shouldn't have taken three months." "Trump and his administration, they chose the wrong person for this," he added. "That doesn't mean that there is a right person for this. There's no right person who should be detained for actually protesting a genocide, for protesting their university, Columbia University." Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin on Friday denounced the judicial order freeing Khalil and the judge who issued it. "This is yet another example of how out of control members of the judicial branch are undermining national security," McLaughlin said in a statement. "Their conduct not only denies the result of the 2024 election, it also does great harm to our constitutional system by undermining public confidence in the courts." The Trump administration claimed it had the authority to detain and deport the pro-Palestinian student activist, arguing that his presence in the U.S. threatened national security. Another charge against Khalil alleges that he omitted details about his work history and membership in organizations on his permanent residency application. The government cited an obscure provision in the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 that gives Secretary of State Marco Rubio authority to "personally determine" whether a foreign national can remain in the U.S. on national security grounds. An NBC News review of more than 100 pages of court filings found that prosecutors relied on unverified tabloid reports and anecdotal claims, raising doubts about the strength of their case for deporting Khalil. Less than 10 minutes after Khalil, who has no criminal history, was released from the detention center in Jena, Louisiana, the Trump administration filed a notice of appeal. A lawyer representing Khalil vowed to fight the appeal. Khalil helped lead student protests over the war in Gaza, where more than 55,000 people have been killed since Israel launched its war against Hamas. He also participated in negotiations with university officials at Columbia last year, when protests at the Ivy League school gripped national headlines for weeks and inspired similar demonstrations at universities around the world. Some Jewish students at universities across the U.S. reported antisemitic incidents as the protest movement gained traction. Khalil was the first of several foreign academics apprehended by immigration authorities in the first months of Trump's second term. Tufts University student Rümeysa Öztürk, a doctoral candidate from Turkey, was arrested outside her home in Somerville, Massachusetts, by immigration authorities on March 25. Viral street footage of her arrest showed Department of Homeland Security officials dressed in plain clothes surrounding Öztürk, grabbing her by the wrists and escorting her into an unmarked vehicle. Mohsen Mahdawi, a 34-year-old graduate student at Columbia who was born in the West Bank, was apprehended by immigration authorities during his naturalization interview in Vermont. Federal judges also ordered the release of both Öztürk and Mahdawi in recent weeks. Other notable cases include a Georgetown University professor who was detained by ICE and later released after a judicial order, and a Brown University professor who was deported to Lebanon.
