The immigrants caring for the nation's elderly are losing their jobs

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Axios

10 hours ago


The White House immigration crackdown is hitting the long-term healthcare industry, as nursing homes and care providers lose foreign-born employees and struggle to hire.

Why it matters: These folks care for the disabled and for the country's fast-growing elderly population, and they're already in short supply.

Advocates and policy experts warn the quality of care that people receive is under threat.

What they're saying: "We have facilities with empty wings and it's not for lack of residents — it's just for lack of staff," says Robin Wolzenburg, senior vice president of clinical and regulatory services with LeadingAge Wisconsin.

Wolzenburg coordinates with resettlement agencies to fill healthcare vacancies, placing refugees in jobs in housekeeping, dietary services and other ancillary positions that keep facilities running.

Not this year. The Trump administration has suspended refugee programs, and now she's struggling to fill vacancies.

By the numbers: Foreign-born workers make up 30% of the nursing home housekeeping and maintenance workforce, according to data provided by LeadingAge, an association of nonprofit providers of aging services. That's compared to 19% of the overall workforce, per the Labor Department.

More than 41% of home health aides in the U.S. last year were foreign-born, according to unpublished data provided to Axios by the Labor Department.

22% of nursing assistants are foreign-born, and 28% of personal care aides.

Read more: https://www.axios.com/2025/06/18/trump-immigration-nursing-homes

[delisen]

1. Time for another Amnesty program. Immigrant Path to Citizenship

We have exploited the immigrant workers. Many businesses and shareholders have gotten rich off them.

Time to do the right think.

[riversedge]

10. Our local nursing home depends on a 3 immigrants--2 are certified nursing aides and

their husbands work on the dairy farms. I heard they are and have been going through the process of becoming citizens--. But they are all afraid that ICE will pick them up. I fear for them--and their kids who have been in our public schools for years now.

[delisen]

11. Thee immigrants are worth fighting for. They are us.

We need to not be users and abusers of other people who are working with us even though not officially citizens

[Silent Type]

2. It's been 20 years, but I used to pray for immigrant staff when my FIL was in nursing home dying. They really cared

much more than the full-time staff who often didn't want to be bothered.

[ananda]

3. And this is just the tip of the iceberg?

No SS or Medicare is on the table also.

I swear, the Republican party actively
wants to kill elderly people.

[slightlv]

4. You're right, of course, about SS and Medicare...

but I *think* those are in the future, their demise based on how badly the 5 trillion dollar deficit reduction and the BBB hit the economy. In fact, the loss of Medicare is built in, which is why I think they pushed that deficit to 5 trillion, over 4 trillion.

But killing Medicaid hits these places NOW. Millions of families told to come get mom, dad, or grandparents out of their living arrangements because there is no more medicaid to help pay. We could be on the brink of "mercy killing" the old folks because they cost too much money and too much time for families. And I'm only half joking here. We're in for some really dark shit if trumps tax cuts and the 5 trillion deficit boost happen.

[ananda]

6. True. And loss of Medicaid affects everyone.

And it affects every aspect of society, economically
and socially.

[slightlv]

7. And I think that's the point.

We've spent millenia building civilization, and societies within that civilization. We agree on a set of rules for living together; the church takes those rules and incorporates them into a doctrine of faith and beats it over everyone's head. Okay, I don't like that part... but we have, since forever, agreed some rules are paramount in building a civilization. When those rules are agreed to and acted in deference to, everyone flourishes. When those rules are broken, that's when you had to have crime and punishment become part of civilization.

trump (and especially Miller and Bannon) are intent on tearing down civilizations. They don't want people working in cooperation with each other. They want people working for themselves against everybody else. And if the ultimate competition of life can't be accomplished by someone? Then they die. Social and actual Darwinism. Tear down everything; don't bother trying to replace it, it's not worth it. The problem WE have is that the "punishment" aspect of crime and punishment fell down on the job... thank you, Garland. And, after arming every person in the U.S. many times over, they're hoping for a full scale killing field. There are holes in their thinking tho... who's going to pick their crops? Who's going to cook their food? I mean... look at Bannon. Already there's no one to wash his clothes!

[North Coast Lawyer]

5. MAGA didn't think this through.

Guess its time for that personal responsibility MAGA squawks about. Time for conservatives to take care of their own parents on their own without help or respite. This is what they voted for.

[slightlv]

8. Yippers... I think my mom had this in the back of her mind

and just gave up the ghost and died before trump could really start his roll. She hated trump with a holy passion. She knew she was where she needed to be... in the memory home... but still, it wasn't and never would feel like "her" home. But she also didn't want to come back to live with me or any of the other kids. She knew she needed more help than we could give, and knew she'd actively fight against us when we tried to help.

Magas have a huge learning curve coming at them pretty quickly. Or, on the alternative, I see euthanasia becoming popular with them, no matter what their "church" may say about it.

[róisín_dubh]

9. The same will happen in the UK

Because of policies started by the Conservatives but continued by Labour.
I’m hopeful there will be assisted dying by the time I’m old so I can just work and then off myself. I’ll have no money to retire anyway. Then I won’t have to worry about the ethnic background of my carers.
What a dystopian nightmare we’ve allowed to foment across much of the West.

[travelingthrulife]

12. The conservatives also block assisted suicide.

I don't have kids so I will just be chucked onto the street, I guess. Who will be able to afford extra mouths to feed.