Creator: Patrick Connole
Court Action Officially Ends Haitian TPS Designation
Haiti’s Temporary Protected Status designation is officially terminated on Aug. 5 after the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia implemented the SCOTUS decision on the matter.
On Aug. 5, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia implemented the June 25 U.S. Supreme Court decision that allowed the Trump Administration to end TPS for some 350,000 Haitians who came to this country following a devastating earthquake in their home country in 2010.
For weeks, the long-term care sector has witnessed a slow-motion process to implement the Supreme Court decision while at the same time U.S. immigration offices advised employers that Haitians with TPS were no longer allowed to live and work in the country.
Congress a No-Go
Last-ditch efforts in Congress to extend TPS to 2029 have thus far failed, and the thousands of Haitians working in skilled facilities, senior living, and home health were left scrambling to find other legal ways to remain, or face deportation to a country the U.S. State Dept. labels a Level 4 “Do Not Travel” designation.
Dana Ritchie, associate vice president of workforce and constituency services at the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), said: “We will continue to encourage policymakers to think beyond our borders when it comes to supporting our growing elderly population and individuals with disabilities.”
“Immigrants remain a significant and highly valued portion of our workforce, but the entire country faces a widening caregiver shortage. Expanding and streamlining legal pathways for international caregivers to work in long-term care is a common-sense solution in order to strengthen access to high-quality care,” she said.
EADs End
The U.S. Citizen and Immigration Service on July 29 issued additional guidance reiterating that TPS for Haiti ended on July 27. Employers were also told that all associated Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) are no longer valid.
The immigration services update came at the same time the implementation process in the courts played out, which officially ended Aug. 5.
Comments or questions? Contact Patrick Connole at pconnole@parkplacelive.com.
