Ascentria Care Alliance: Massachusetts could lose about 2,000 healthcare workers due to upcoming TPS Haiti termination

In an op-ed with the Worcester Business Journal last month, Ascentria Care Alliance President and CEO Angela Bovill shared that Massachusetts could lose about 2,000 healthcare workers due to the upcoming termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti on February 3, 2026. TPS enabled Haitians and other nationals from designated countries who were previously in the US to remain lawfully present and obtain work permission while conditions in their home country have prevented their safe return. Haiti previously received TPS designations due to the country’s 2010 earthquake and more recent political violence over the past several years. The Trump Administration terminated TPS for Haiti and several other countries last year despite widespread consensus that conditions have not improved enough to ensure their citizens’ safe return. 

Bovill states that the TPS Haiti termination will particularly impact the Massachusetts healthcare industry, as “Haitian TPS holders make up a critical portion of the long-term care workforce, serving as certified nursing assistants, home health aides, and direct care workers,” among other occupations. Bovill emphasizes the harsh impact of this loss, stating that “losing even a portion of this workforce will lead to fewer available beds, longer wait times, increased burnout for remaining staff, and potentially the closure of facilities families rely on. There is no backup workforce waiting to fill these roles.” 

Read Bovill’s op-ed in the Worcester Business Journal here.