TPS Healthcare Workers Face Deportation as US Hospitals Struggle

Janeth spent 23 years caring for patients at a Kaiser Permanente hospital in the San Francisco Bay Area. She won a prestigious national nursing award seven times. Then, in September 2025, the Trump administration ended temporary protected status (TPS) — a legal program that lets people from dangerous countries live and work in the US — for Honduras. Overnight, Janeth went from a celebrated healthcare worker to someone the government considers to be in the country illegally. She lost her job, could no longer pay her mortgage, and had to move in with her daughter.

What Is TPS and Who Is Losing It?

TPS, or temporary protected status, is a program created in 1990. It protects people from countries hit by war, natural disasters, or other crises. It gives them the right to live and work in the US legally. As of early 2025, nearly 1.3 million people in the US held TPS. At least 50,000 of them worked in healthcare, according to FWD.us, a DC-based immigration advocacy group. Since returning to office in 2025, the Trump administration has ended or tried to end TPS for 13 of the 17 countries that had the designation — including Honduras, Venezuela, Haiti, and Syria. For many of these workers, the loss of TPS means losing their jobs, their income, and their legal right to stay in the US.

Hospitals and Patients Are Feeling the Impact

About one in six hospital workers directly involved in patient care is an immigrant, according to experts cited in the source reporting. When TPS workers lose their jobs, hospitals struggle to fill the gap. In Miami, one nursing home operator said 20% to 30% of her staff across nine facilities are TPS holders. A Miami doctor said he lost a medical assistant who had been a doctor in Cuba — and still has not found a replacement nearly a year later. "Triage takes much longer and that causes annoyance among patients," he said, adding that "satisfaction is dropping too, definitely, we are losing patients." In Spokane, Washington, a Haitian TPS holder runs an adult family home for four women with severe mental illness. She has not told her patients that she may lose her legal status — she fears the news could devastate them.

Haiti's TPS case is now before the US Supreme Court, which is expected to rule on whether the government can immediately end protections for Haitians and Syrians. A federal judge previously blocked the termination, saying it would cause "irreparable harm." For Honduras, a federal appeals court upheld the administration's decision to end TPS in February 2026, closing the door on a quick legal fix for workers like Janeth. TPS does not automatically lead to a green card or citizenship. A 2021 Supreme Court ruling also made it harder for TPS holders to apply for a green card (called "adjustment of status") from inside the US if they originally entered the country without authorization — meaning many must leave the US first to apply for a visa abroad.

What to Do

• Check your current status immediately. If your country's TPS has been terminated or is under legal challenge, talk to an immigration lawyer as soon as possible to understand your options before your work authorization expires.
• Ask about other forms of protection. Some TPS holders may qualify for asylum, a family-based green card, or other immigration benefits. An immigration attorney can review your specific situation and tell you what paths may be open to you.
• Do not stop working without legal advice. Lawyers recommend confirming the exact date your work permit (called an Employment Authorization Document, or EAD) expires before you stop working — some court orders have temporarily extended protections.
• Document your ties to the US. Keep records of your employment history, tax returns, community involvement, and family connections. These can support future immigration applications or removal proceedings (the formal legal process to deport someone).