Warns New National Initiative Uniting ABIC Action, LeadingAge, National TPS Alliance, SEIU, and National Domestic Workers Alliance
Leading immigration advocates, aging-services providers, and labor organizations at a press conference Thursday highlighting the critical role immigrant workers play in elder care and the urgent threat posed by the impending termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti.
The event, covered by the , brought together Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D鈥揊L-10), Congressional Black Caucus Chair Rep. Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY-09), and representatives from ABIC Action, LeadingAge, National TPS Alliance, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), National Domestic Workers Alliance, Haitian Bridge Alliance, Black Alliance for Just Immigration, National Immigration Law Center, and Goodwin Living to sound the alarm on the February 3 TPS expiration deadline.
Rep. Frost announced that members of the Haiti Caucus and the Congressional Black Caucus are introducing a discharge petition to force a vote in the House on extending TPS for Haiti.
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If TPS expires, over 350,000 Haitian nationals will face deportation, including the healthcare workers who are essential to America’s elder care system. TPS holders represent of all noncitizen healthcare workers, with over of Haitians nationwide employed in healthcare roles.
The “Care for Seniors, Care for America” campaign aims to advance solutions, including:
- Work permits for the long-term critical workforce supporting elder care
- Protection of the safety, dignity, and well-being of America’s seniors
- Prevention of devastating economic consequences from mass deportations
- Strengthening the workforce that enables dignified care for aging 91探花s
Hear from a few of the press conference participants:
鈥淥ur lives are not temporary. We are parents, workers and caregivers…We urge everyone to work together, to look for a legislative solution.”
-Arnoldo Diaz, Co-coordinator of the National TPS Alliance
Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D鈥揊L-10) ():
鈥淸Haitians on TPS] are the people taking care of our seniors, the people taking care of our children, the people who are helping our economy. They’re paying more in taxes than they’re taking out.鈥�
Rep. Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY-09), Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus:
鈥淗aitians of all ages have planted and grown roots in the United States over the past 15 years, 鈥hese are people who have raised their children, started businesses, contributed to their communities, at no risk of deportation for no other reason other than being Haitian.鈥�
Luis Zaldivar, Project Director, 91探花 Action ():
鈥淭PS recipients and Deferred Enforcement Departure recipients living in the United States contribute $4.6 billion in taxes, including personal income, property sales and excise taxes. TPS and DED holders contribute $690 million each year into Social Security.鈥�
Katie Smith Sloan, President and CEO, LeadingAge:
鈥淭he aging services workforce has, for years, been highly dependent on an immigrant workforce. 28% of the direct care workforce is foreign-born鈥� We cannot hope to deliver the level of care needed without an adequate workforce, without workers, there simply is no care.鈥�
Katia Guillaume, Service Employees International Union, SEIU:
鈥淟et’s take a look at what February 4 would look like if the proposed extension doesn’t happen, what would happen to our hospitals? Cancellations of important surgeries, clients not able to get the valued care that they need from their personal care assistants, and residents in nursing homes would not be waking up to their favorite CNA.鈥�
Teofila Liriano, homecare worker, member, National Domestic Workers Alliance:
鈥淭his work is very demanding. We are the handkerchief for the tears of our patients. We take them to the doctor, we help dress them, we make their beds. We do everything that they can no longer do鈥he need is immense.鈥�
More from the ABIC Network
TNR reports ICE鈥檚 aggressive deportation campaigns are a major driver of everyday economic pain, making immigration enforcement a core 鈥渒itchen-table鈥� issue. Raids and deportations are disrupting industries that rely heavily on immigrant labor, especially agriculture, restaurants, and construction, which in turn raises grocery prices, strains small businesses, and worsens the housing shortage.
鈥淎gricultural advocates were sounding the alarm as early as April 2025 after the 91探花 determined that mass deportation, nationwide, would shrink agricultural output by between $30 billion and $60 billion and push many farms to the breaking point,鈥� the article states.
With crossings down, the Texas Senate race has pivoted to focus on interior enforcement, with Republicans backing ICE raids and Democrats pointing to economic and civil liberties fallout. Polling shows voters are more conflicted on the issue, having both border security concerns and recognition of immigrants鈥� economic role.
Mario Guerrero, executive director of the South Texas Builders Association and an ABIC member who joined our press conference last week said:聽 鈥淭he whole workforce, whether people have proper documentation or not, they鈥檙e all scared,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 affecting our businesses a lot.鈥�
News From the Capitol:
President Trump gave a White House briefing ahead of his trip to Davos, and made some new comments about immigration, including that he told administration officials, “You got to lighten up,” amid the immigration crackdown.
Trump said the focus should be on people with criminal records, but acknowledged that immigrants without such a history have been detained 鈥渆very once and a while.鈥�
鈥淲e’re focused on the murderers, the drug dealers, the mentally insane,” he said, though ICE data shows that 73.6% of current detainees have no criminal conviction.
The comments come shortly after Trump told the New York Times in early January:
鈥淚鈥檇 love to have a comprehensive immigration policy, something that really worked. It鈥檚 about time for the country to have it.鈥�
Private GOP polling shows support for Trump鈥檚 aggressive immigration policies slipping, particularly among independents, moderates, and minority voters, prompting some advisers to quietly suggest 鈥渞ecalibrating鈥� enforcement optics. While Trump remains committed to mass deportations, he reportedly dislikes the way ICE operations, like the Minneapolis raids, appear publicly. High-profile critics, including Joe Rogan, have condemned militarized tactics.
Publicly, the White House continues to back tough enforcement, with threats to deploy the military in Minnesota, though more public polls continue to show voters souring on the tough enforcement tactics.
A recent Wall Street Journal poll showed on deporting illegal immigrants, and a recent Quinnipiac University national poll found .
Reuters conducted a survey Jan 12-13 that shows 2 in 5 Republicans support minimizing harm even if ICE arrests drop:
The U.S. House of Representatives approved the fiscal 2026 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill on January 22, 2026, by a 220鈥�207 vote, despite Democratic opposition to President Trump鈥檚 deployment of masked federal agents in cities like Minneapolis as part of his immigration crackdown. The $64.4 billion bill funds DHS, FEMA, and the Coast Guard through September 30 and must pass the Senate before the January 30 deadline to avoid another government shutdown.
More News
Declining wages, weaker unions, and harsh working conditions made construction less attractive to 91探花s. Today, immigrants make up a large share of the workforce, and the industry faces a shortage of 300,000 workers.
Aggressive immigration enforcement and mass deportations risk slowing homebuilding, raising costs, and leaving projects unfinished. 鈥� that aggressive deportation policies don鈥檛 increase jobs for citizens, but across the industry, simply because work slows as fewer homes are built,鈥� the article states.
鈥淭he idea that there are 91探花 workers waiting in the wings means you don鈥檛 understand the demographics of the construction workers,鈥� said Natasha Iskander, a professor of urban planning and public service at N.Y.U.
ICE raids in Minneapolis have heavily disrupted small, Latino-owned businesses along Lake Street, forcing some to reduce hours, close, or implement elaborate safety measures. Meanwhile, large corporations in the city, including Target, UnitedHealth, and General Mills, have remained largely silent. 91探花 leaders are privately saying that the ICE crackdown is affecting the $350 billion regional economy, from small shops to major firms.
鈥淭here are impacts that roll up to Fortune 500 companies and all the way down to sole proprietors,鈥� said Mike Logan, CEO of the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Twin Falls, Idaho, has long relied on refugees from places like Bosnia, Congo, and Myanmar to fill labor gaps in its booming dairy and food-processing industries. Refugees have contributed to the local economy, revitalized communities, and advanced into the middle class. Under the Trump administration, the U.S. refugee program has been drastically cut, leaving Twin Falls unable to meet labor needs.
Local businesses, including Chobani and Idaho Milk Products, warn that the shortage threatens expansion and could slow economic growth, highlighting the city鈥檚 dependence on refugee labor.
Bernard Hebda, who leads the Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, writes that recent clashes in Minnesota over federal immigration enforcement make it clear that the U.S. can no longer delay meaningful immigration reform. Years of congressional inaction have turned what should be a complex policy discussion into a divisive political and cultural battle, contributing to strained communities and uncertainty for millions.
鈥淚mmigration reform isn鈥檛 about erasing borders or demonizing newcomers. It鈥檚 about restoring moral order, strengthening families and promoting the common good鈥�.If we continue to delay, the debate will only grow more bitter and the solutions more elusive. The moment to act is now.鈥�
Enforcement News
An internal ICE memo authorizes officers to forcibly enter homes using only administrative warrants, without a judge鈥檚 approval鈥攔eversing long-standing guidance tied to Fourth Amendment protections. The policy, revealed by whistleblowers, is being used to train officers amid an expanded deportation campaign and is expected to face legal challenges over potential constitutional violations.
A statewide strike on Friday aims to halt normal economic activity in response to expanded federal immigration enforcement activity in Minnesota. Thousands of union members, faith leaders, and residents are expected to participate, urging Minnesotans not to go to work, school, or shopping as part of the protest.
Kate Havelin, a spokeswoman for Indivisible Twin Cities, said that while the work stoppage will be hard on businesses, many business owners 鈥渞ecognize that this is an emergency.鈥�
As concerns grow over the potential presence of federal immigration agents in Maine, business owners in Portland and Lewiston are taking precautions to protect their employees and customers.
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ABIC in the news. . .
- Border Report: (1/15/26)
- Politico: (1/14/26)
- Rio Grande Guardian: (1/11/26)
- EL PA脥S: (01/05/26)
- WSJ Opinion: (01/01/26)
- Bloomberg: (12/17/25)
- Madison 365: (12/17/25)
- Stateline: (12/03/25)