TPS Removal Threatens U.S. Healthcare Staffing, Union Says

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes · Last updated: 26 September 2026

The Trump administration’s decision to end Temporary Protected Status for people from 13 countries has prompted a labor action at the University of Rochester and raised immediate staffing concerns, the union 1199SEIU says. A rally is scheduled at the College of Nursing from 11:30 a.m. to noon as union leaders press lawmakers to restore legal status for affected workers; leaders report members already leaving roles because of removal worries. TPS, created by Congress in 1990, protects people from countries affected by war or disasters; the Immigration Council estimates about 20% of U.S. workers are non-citizens. This account draws on reporting by Kristi Blake, as first reported by News10NBC.

The unfortunate decision to cancel TPS is going to have a devastating impact on not only our members, which are a very diverse unit, but taking it a step further and looking at our community,

Tracey Harrison, vice president, 1199SEIU

How ending TPS can reduce hospital staffing in weeks

Union leaders say the decision to rescind Temporary Protected Status is already prompting departures among healthcare staff who face the prospect of losing legal permission to remain in the United States. 1199SEIU reported that members on TPS are weighing whether to leave roles or relocate rather than risk returning to countries they describe as unsafe. Hospitals rely on experienced clinical and support staff whose training and patient knowledge are not easily replaced; union organisers warned that losing those employees could create immediate gaps in shifts and specialised services.

TPS holders commonly fill roles across nursing, dietary, transport and other patient-facing services. When staff exit, hospitals deploy overtime, agency staff and internal float pools, but unions emphasise those are stopgaps that raise costs and strain remaining employees. Care was not expected to be interrupted during the College of Nursing rally, but the union framed the action as a warning of longer-term attrition.

DHS rationale and the policy trade-offs

The Department of Homeland Security has justified rollbacks by saying affected countries have improved to the point they no longer meet TPS criteria, framing the programme as temporary rather than permanent protection. DHS decisions rest on country condition reviews and risk assessments; the administration views removal as restoring ordinary immigration rules rather than singling out particular workers.

Those policy mechanics contrast with the workforce impact described by unions. TPS was created by Congress in 1990 to shield people from conditions such as war, natural disasters and other extraordinary situations. Union leaders counter that abrupt status termination forces experienced caregivers out of the workforce and shifts the burden for replacement onto hospitals and taxpayers.

Union pressure, legislative options and hospital responses

1199SEIU is urging lawmakers to restore legal status for affected workers and organised the Rochester rally as part of a national day of action that organisers said involved hundreds of cities. The union is pushing both public pressure and direct lobbying as routes to a legislative fix that could preserve staff continuity.

Hospitals have limited tools: recruitment drives, contingency staffing plans and temporary use of agency labour. Those measures mitigate shortfalls but increase operating costs and do not replace institutional knowledge. Union organisers emphasise that a legislative or administrative remedy would be faster and less disruptive than repeated hiring cycles and costly agency contracts.

Possible paths forward

The bottom line

Union organisers and hospital managers describe the TPS rollback as a policy decision whose immediate effects will be felt on the ground in staffing and care continuity. The union has mobilised local and national actions to press for legislative relief; DHS frames the change as a return to ordinary immigration rules because it judges country conditions improved. Without a rapid administrative or congressional response, hospitals face the practical challenge of replacing experienced staff, a process that raises costs and delays service recovery.

What to watch

• Watch for 1199SEIU follow-up lobbying meetings with federal lawmakers; no date has been set.
• Watch for Department of Homeland Security publications or implementation guidance about the TPS rollbacks; no date has been set.