IMMIGRATION

Roll Call -  President-elect Donald Trump’s vowed crackdown on immigration could strain an already struggling elder care workforce that relies on foreign-born workers in nursing homes and home health settings. Industry players and experts argue that increasing the long-term care workforce requires more immigration, and Trump’s plans could further undermine efforts to shore up the workforce as need for services increases with an aging population.

“Restricting entry of immigrants into the U.S. could really have a detrimental impact on long-term care for older adults,” said David C. Grabowski, a professor of health care policy at Harvard Medical School. “They [immigrants] play a critical role in the delivery of long-term care broadly, but especially in nursing homes.”

Home health aides, personal care aides and certified nursing assistants are considered the backbone of the long-term care workforce, helping people age in their homes and often making up the majority of staff in nursing homes and residential care facilities.

There’s already a shortage of workers performing long-term care, and that shortage will worsen in the coming decades. People 65 and older are expected to make up more than 20 percent of the population by 2030; an estimated 75 percent will need some type of long-term care.

The Guardian - Across the country, immigrant advocates, activists and legal aid groups are preparing to resist Trump’s pledge to deport millions of people living in the country without authorization – and his threat to end programs shielding tens of thousands of immigrants in the US on a lawful but temporary basis. To implement his sprawling enforcement agenda, Trump has appointed a team of immigration hardliners.

Though the incoming administration has yet to offer specifics, Trump has said he is prepared to activate the US military to assist with deportations. His “border czar”, Tom Homan, has threatened to withhold federal funds to states that refuse to cooperate, and when asked during an interview if there was a way for mass deportations not to separate families with mixed immigration statuses, he replied: “Families can be deported together.” (US citizens cannot be deported, but could choose to leave voluntarily.)

Advocates anticipate high-profile raids at work sites and in immigrant communities that the president-elect targeted on the campaign trail.

“We are trying to do everything we can to provide people with the facts, to provide people with the greatest level of information that we have and allow them to decide for themselves what they need to do for their safety and the safety of their family,” Paul said.

Casa has been holding “know your rights” workshops to prepare people for Trump’s return to power. The presentations are not new, but Paul said attendance had risen since the November election. In recent weeks, schools and city councils have also reached out to Casa seeking guidance on how to protect students and residents who could be at risk of deportation.