Goddard House loses ‘dedicated caregivers’ as Trump ends protections for Haitian immigrants
Goddard House in Brookline, the oldest elder-care organization in the state, recently lost several employees because of the Trump administration’s policy of removing Temporary Protected Status for Haitian immigrants.
It was one of many employers around the state and country, especially in the healthcare and senior living industries, that were forced to terminate workers this summer and worry about their fates as they face deportation back to Haiti.
CEO and president Candace Cramer confirmed Tuesday that the Goddard House, which offers assisted living and memory support for about 115 residents, had to let go a handful of its 140 employees because they could no longer provide documentation showing they were authorized to work in the U.S.
“We’re very concerned about their well-being,” said Cramer. “They are dedicated caregivers, so it’s unfortunate.”
After the formal end of TPS on July 27, Goddard House gave its affected employees an additional week, through Aug. 7, to provide documentation showing they had other authorization to work in the country, according to Cramer.
“We greatly value their contributions to Goddard House and are very sorry to see them leave,” she said.
Cramer did not provide an exact number or other details due to privacy concerns.
Temporary Protected Status is a temporary immigration status that the U.S. government can grant to people from designated countries where conditions – such as ongoing armed conflict or an environmental disaster – make it unsafe for them to return, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service.
The status generally protects eligible people from deportation and allows them to obtain authorization to work in the U.S.
Haiti was first designated for TPS in 2010 after a devastating earthquake. The protections have since been extended multiple times. The Trump administration moved to end the designation, a decision that was initially blocked by a federal judge and later a federal appeals court.
But in June, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the administration to move forward with ending the protections while litigation continued. Haitian TPS protections ultimately expired July 27. The change affects about 300,000 Haitian TPS holders nationwide, including about 45,000 in Massachusetts, according to a statement from Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell.
The impact has hit the broader elder-care industry especially hard: About 1,500 workers at Massachusetts nursing care facilities are expected to be impacted, according to Campbell.
Cramer said Goddard House began preparing months ago for the possibility of losing employees by hiring additional per diem workers to fill any potential staffing gaps. She also said she does not expect the change to disrupt resident care.
Hebrew SeniorLife, a major senior care provider with several facilities in Brookline, told the Boston Globe it had to terminate 36 Haitian employees, but the organization told Brookline.News that no employees at its Brookline locations are affected.
2Life Communities, a major senior housing provider with multiple residences in Brookline, said it does not comment on personnel matters.
Officials from Brookline’s town government and schools said they weren’t aware of any employees losing their jobs because of the TPS elimination, and Brookline Council on Aging director Emily Williams said neither the senior center nor its service provider Springwell are reporting any issues.
Immigrants are an important part of the health care workforce, which has already faced staffing challenges as the population ages, said Goddard House’s Cramer
She said she feels the news demonstrates “the need for clearer legal paths for people so they’re not living with uncertainty.”
“There’s a real human aspect to this and sometimes that gets lost in the conversation about how it’s affecting people’s lives,” said Cramer.
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