On Monday the Department of Homeland Security extended, by six months, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian immigrants living and working in the United States. After a devastating earthquake hit Haiti in 2010, nearly 60,000 Haitians were allowed to stay in the country. Nearly 4,300 settled in Massachusetts, often taking jobs that are difficult to fill.
If these workers ultimately lose Temporary Protected Status, finding workers to replace them could present a hardship for places like nursing homes and home health aide agencies.
Sister Jacquelyn McCarthy is CEO of Bethany Health Care Center in Framingham. In a recent letter to Homeland Security, she laid out how facilities like hers rely on Haitian workers. She spoke with WGBH All Things Considered host Barbara Howard.
