Immigrants Facing Uncertain Future as Trump Administration Ends Temporary Protected Status for Hondurans
In Los Angeles, Aurora – a nurse by profession hailing from Honduras – found herself in a predicament after leaving her home country in search of a better life for her and her two daughters in 1990. After working as a caregiver for older adults in their homes for several years, she gained temporary protected status (TPS) in the United States following Hurricane Mitch’s devastation in Honduras in late 1998.
However, this year, the Trump administration announced its decision to terminate TPS for Hondurans, effective September 8th, a move that has left Aurora and around 72,000 other Honduran TPS holders with an uncertain future. The decision is currently under legal challenge but was upheld by a panel of judges on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday.
Aurora fears being targeted by immigration authorities and prefers to remain anonymous. She emphasizes that not all immigrants are criminals, stressing the hardworking nature of individuals like herself who have spent most of their adult lives in the United States. Service Employees International Union Local 2015, which represents approximately half a million long-term care workers in California, is pushing for a path to citizenship for individuals such as Aurora.
The union acknowledges the critical role caregivers play in serving California’s low-income older adults and people with disabilities, who qualify for government-funded care. According to a 2023 report by the California Health Care Foundation, close to half of California’s direct care workforce are immigrants, and a potential shortage of between 600,000 and 3.2 million care workers could be faced by 2030 due to an aging population.
Roberto Oronia, a U.S. citizen born in Los Angeles, shares Aurora’s concerns about the impact of immigration policies on caregivers. He works as a certified nursing assistant at a nursing home in the San Fernando Valley and has witnessed the anxiety among his immigrant colleagues due to increased immigration enforcement. The sweeping raids in Los Angeles this summer have left many immigrants fearful, with reports suggesting that people are being detained based on their appearance and legal U.S. residents are being arrested.
This fear could lead to consequences for the individuals under care, as Oronia notes that heightened anxiety among caregivers can lead to accidents. Aurora shares similar concerns about returning to Honduras, citing the persistent issues of poverty, gangs, and corruption in her home country. She prefers to take her chances in the United States despite the current challenges.