I woke up this morning to news that the US had suffered a blow in the World Cup yesterday. I am sorry about that. I like sports, too.
But that was not the worst blow that America suffered yesterday. The worst blow came from a decision of the US Supreme Court that sent shock waves through me and delivered a blow to the quality of care for elderly Americans like my Mom, who died while living in an assisted care facility in our home town in the Midwest, cared for by loving aides and enjoying the comfort and sense of well being that she deserved. It was what she wanted, and we were grateful for the quality of care she received.
Yesterday the Supreme Court sided with the Trump Administration and revoked the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for over one million immigrants living in America, many of them from Haiti and working in the elder care space in our country. That was the biggest blow.
The TPS is a U.S. humanitarian program that provides temporary protection from deportation and work authorization to foreign nationals already in the United States who cannot safely return to their home countries. And this action was taken by our highest court without apparent remorse and in turning a blind eye to the reprehensible motive of hate for Haitians made clear by the slurs that our Chief Executive hurled at those immigrants when he accused them of eating dogs and cats and being from “shithole” countries. This, fortunately, did not escape the notice of Justice Kagan, as detailed in her dissent.
It has been well documented by the New York Times and other news outlets that Haitian immigrants are a critical part of the healthcare workforce, making up a vital percent of all immigrant healthcare workers nationwide. They have essential roles as hospital staff, in-home health aides, and fill valuable jobs in homes for the elderly like the one where my Mom lived.
They care for the beloved moms and dads throughout this country, who live too far away from their children and grandchildren to be cared for by family. The halls of hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living facilities are filled with healthcare aides who have fled from countries where their lives and the lives of their children were threatened by ruthless governments and gangs.
Now many of those immigrants are headed home. Now they have lost the grace of the TPS and will trade it for the terror of the country they fled.
I care about this because I knew the workers who made sure that my Mom was able to live a long life in comfort and with the care she needed and deserved. And I appreciated them.
And now workers like them will be gone. Because the Court’s majority did not make the connection about the essential role those immigrants play in caring for our elderly and, instead, gave a nod to bias and hate.
It was a sad day. It was the big blow.
