With migrants' legal status revoked, employer faces loss of 100-plus workers
But their employer
hasn't received any notification about how to proceed, leaving everyone with questions yet to be answered: Do they have to be fired? Will ICE come knocking if they aren't? Could this policy
decision ultimately be reversed?
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'We do not intend or seek to be in violation of any laws or orders,' said Chris White, chief executive of Road to Responsibility, which serves 1,000 people across Southeastern Massachusetts. 'We just don't know how we're supposed to do this.'
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The termination of legal status is part of President Trump's massive crackdown on immigrants, many of whom came to the United States legally. The administration and its US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have revoked visas, detained students, staked out court hearings, deported people with no criminal histories, conducted workplace raids, and smashed car windshields to make arrests.
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More than half a million migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela have been admitted to the United States since 2022 as part of a humanitarian parole program known as CHNV, which Trump
In March, DHS posted a
who runs the nonprofit Pathway for Immigrant Workers.
But employers have a strong defense, she said: They don't know what type of parole their employees have. Work permits don't designate if they have CHNV parole, which was issued in their home countries and allowed them to fly directly to the U.S., or if they were paroled at the southern border, a subset of the program that wasn't included in the executive order but has also been subject to individual
And asking too many questions about a worker's background could open up employers to discrimination lawsuits.
The migrants did everything they were supposed to do, Ditrani said: 'They were vetted … and received a work authorization. Employers invested in training, and they're working. And now poof, they have to go.'
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DHS started sending
In response to questions from the Globe, a DHS spokesperson wrote: 'Illegal aliens should use the CBP Home app to fly home for free and receive $1,000 stipend, while preserving the option to return the legal way and live the American dream.'
Last week, Trump acknowledged that his aggressive immigration policies were
In Massachusetts,
people and those with disabilities — the kind of physically demanding, low-wage work many Americans won't do, according to many employers.
A spokesperson from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development said the state is assessing the potential impact of the parole program's termination and advised employers to consult with attorneys.
White has been doing just that but still remains uncertain about what to do, especially considering that up to 84 more of his Haitian employees will
Staffing shortages are a major concern in the human services sector, where demand is growing but employment numbers have declined, according to the
220
human services organizations in Massachusetts. A third of personal care aides in the state are foreign-born, according to the council.
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The lack of information about changes to migrant employees' protected status puts employers in a difficult position, said Bill Yelenak, president of the Providers' Council.
'They're just not aware of when the changes happen … and how it's going to impact their workforce,' he said.
Migrant hires with temporary legal protections are the sole reason Road to Responsibility has been able to get back to pre-COVID staffing levels and start growing again, White said. Nearly 60 percent of his 800-person workforce was born in another country.
'These are good, hard-working people who have been paying taxes, following the rules, and filling positions that, frankly, we have not been able to fill otherwise,' he said.
Losing more than 100 members of an 800-person workforce would take a heavy toll on the nonprofit. At the very least, it would mean 'blowing the budget' to pay for overtime and relief staff, White said. It could even lead to consolidating programs and requesting waivers to temporarily operate understaffed.
'I'm expecting that I'll be working some direct care shifts myself,'
said White, who is 65.
White's leadership team is evaluating workers' legal status — those with pending asylum applications can remain in the United States — and hoping that exceptions will be granted for a category of employees who were deemed essential during the pandemic. In February, one of his staff members was picked up by ICE for unknown reasons and deported to the Dominican Republic, White said.
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'Our workforce is terrified,' he said.
These employees provide critical support for people who need help with nearly every aspect of their daily lives. For more independent clients, staffers assist with taking public transit, grocery shopping, and cooking. Workers take them fishing and bowling, encourage interests in photography or art, and administer meds.
They also assist with more basic needs, such as toileting, feeding, and mobility, and teach fire safety, nutrition, human rights, and hygiene. Some provide one-on-one care to people with severe behavioral or medical issues,
and others work overnight shifts in Road to Responsibility's
52 group homes.
Each person's needs are different, and often complex, said Kevin Clark, program director at one of the organization's community-based day services programs. And it takes time, consistency, and familiarity for them to feel safe with their caregivers.
Many of the temp agencies Road to Responsibility uses to fill in staffing gaps also rely heavily on Haitians and other immigrants. If the organization can't find enough workers, clients may have to stay home — with no rehabilitation and nothing meaningful to do, said Erica Defreitas,
program director at a day habilitation facility. Some of them grew up in institutions, in terrible living conditions, she said: 'We can't go backward.'
This story was produced by the Globe's
team, which covers the racial wealth gap in Greater Boston. You can sign up for the newsletter
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Katie Johnston can be reached at
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