The United States depends on migrant workers in essential sectors like nursing and caregiving, but the shifting immigration policies under Donald Trump are causing chaos and confusion among Filipino and other immigrant workers.
Uncertainty for Caregivers
Jay, a Filipino migrant, cares for an 82-year-old US veteran in the San Francisco Bay Area who suffered a stroke. While playing a word search memory game, Jay saw news on Facebook about a policy memo from the US Department of Homeland Security suggesting that migrants might have to return to their home countries to apply for green cards, which allow permanent residence and work. Within a week, the DHS appeared to walk back the policy, but Jay’s immigration lawyer advised him to pause his green card application due to heightened uncertainty.
“Every day the policy is changing,” Jay says.
Jay is one of thousands of Filipinos in vital caregiving roles whose lives have become more precarious under the Trump administration’s chaotic immigration crackdown. He and his colleague Lei were employed in a residential aged care home, where they were forced to work months without a single day off. Lei slept under the stairs; Jay in a storage room.
Immigrant Healthcare Workers
According to the American Immigration Council, nearly one in five healthcare workers in the US are immigrants, with the Philippines being the most common country of birth. This includes about 171,200 Filipino immigrant nurses, or one out of every 25 nurses. These numbers exclude many more who provide unskilled care work for US citizens.
Kai Marie, chair of Migrante USA, which represents Filipino migrant workers, emphasizes that their work is essential in care and health industries. However, confusing and contradictory announcements from the Trump administration, such as those on green card rules, threaten migrants’ security and create an environment where employers can exploit caregivers.
“What employers can sometimes do is use the threat of contacting immigration as a way to silence complaints, even if those complaints are valid, like speaking up for labour protection,” Marie says. “There’s uncertainty for people here, as we’re even seeing green card holders being detained.”
Migrante USA is advocating for Kuya Jeff, a 39-year-old Filipino green card holder from Alaska detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement over previous non-deportable offenses for which he had already served time. There has been a surge in ICE detentions due to the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign.
Government Responses
Marie notes that the Philippine government is not actively defending the rights of its nationals in the US. She points to comments by Philippine Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez to GMA News, which echoed US administration orders without questioning them, stating that Filipinos applying for green cards would have to “go home first.”
Sharvari Dalal-Dheini, director of government relations at the American Immigration Lawyers Association, says the US agency has not provided updated public guidance on the alleged walk-back. “Stakeholders continue to be confused and dubious. Until we have official word, we remain concerned and extremely cautious,” she says.
Impact on Families and Patients
Marie warns that the uncertainty will affect not only migrants and their families but also the US citizens they support. Gabriela, another Filipino migrant who has worked as a carer in a San Fernando Valley retirement home for 15 years, says compassion is “like a trademark” of Filipinos. She has cared for a 97-year-old patient for nine years. With her green card application pending, Gabriela fears what would happen to her children and patients if she were forced to return to the Philippines.
At the root of the issue, Marie says, is the failure of governments in countries like the Philippines to provide people with means to make a living at home. “There needs to be more leadership from both the US and Philippines governments to understand the human impact, the human cost.”
A spokesperson for the Philippines embassy in Washington stated: “The Philippines is recognized globally for promoting and protecting the welfare of Filipino nationals overseas. While the Philippines offers opportunities as a growing economy, many overseas Filipinos have determined that employment abroad better suits their goals.”
*Names have been changed to protect identities.
