Mass. pols issue report on possible effects of Haiti TPS termination on local health care

Haitian immigrants represent a significant share of the health care workforce, so ending Temporary Protected Status would substantially affect health care staffing and services. A report from Massachusetts lawmakers examines potential repercussions for the U.S. health care system if the Trump administration ends humanitarian protections for Haitian immigrants. The report states that terminating TPS would exacerbate health care workforce shortages, limit high-quality care, and endanger patients. Massachusetts would be affected by roughly 45,000 residents who rely on TPS to live and work in the United States. The report is released while many await a Supreme Court decision on whether the administration can legally dismantle TPS, a program meant to prevent deportation from countries facing extraordinary conditions.

"As Haitian immigrants make up a significant portion of the health care workforce, the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) would have a substantial impact on the sector, the lawmakers wrote in the report."

"They wrote that terminating TPS would "exacerbate" shortages in the health care workforce, limit high-quality care, and "endanger patients." "If the Trump administration ends legal protections for Haitian workers, everyone will be worse off," Warren said in a statement to Boston.com. "The health care system is already strained from significant federal budget cuts, and this cruel decision would put patient care at risk nationwide. We must keep fighting back.""

"The report comes as many await a Supreme Court decision that will determine if the administration can legally dismantle TPS, a program designed to prevent the deportation of individuals from nations struggling with environmental disasters, armed conflict, or other extraordinary conditions."

"In Massachusetts alone, ending TPS for Haitians would impact roughly 45,000 residents who depend on the program to live and work in the U.S. The 10-page report, titled "Care in Crisis: The Healthcare Workforce Consequences of Ending Haitian TPS," was authored by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, and Sen. Ed Markey."

Read at Boston.com