The United States heavily relies on migrant workers in critical sectors such as nursing and caregiving, but the chaotic immigration policies under Donald Trump are creating widespread uncertainty and fear among Filipino and other immigrant workers.
Uncertainty Over Green Card Rules
Jay, a Filipino migrant, cares for an 82-year-old US veteran in San Francisco's Bay Area who suffered a stroke. While playing a word search memory game, Jay saw news on Facebook about a policy memo from the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) suggesting migrants might have to return to their home countries to apply for a green card, which allows permanent residency. Within a week, the DHS appeared to walk back the policy, but Jay's immigration lawyer advised him to pause his green card application due to heightened uncertainty.
"Every day the policy is changing," Jay says.
Precarious Working Conditions
Jay is one of thousands of Filipinos in vital caregiving roles whose lives have become more precarious under the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration. He previously worked in a residential aged care home where he went months without a day off, sleeping in a storage room, while his colleague Lei slept under the stairs.
According to the American Immigration Council, nearly one in five healthcare workers in the US are immigrants, with the Philippines being the most common country of birth. This includes almost 171,200 Filipino immigrant nurses—one out of every 25 nurses in the US—not counting many more in unskilled care work.
Employer Exploitation
Kai Marie, chair of Migrante USA, which represents Filipino migrant workers, says confusing and contradictory announcements from the Trump administration threaten migrants' security and enable employer exploitation. "What employers can sometimes do—which is what Jay experienced—is use the threat of contacting immigration as a way to silence complaints," Marie says. "There's uncertainty for people that are here, because we're even seeing green card holders that are being detained currently."
Migrante USA is advocating for the release of Kuya Jeff, a 39-year-old Filipino green card holder from Alaska detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) over previous non-deportable offenses he had already served time for. There has been a surge in ICE detentions as part of Trump's mass deportation campaign.
Government Responses
Marie criticizes the Philippine government for not actively defending the rights of its nationals in the US. She points to Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez's comments following the green card memo, which echoed US orders without questioning them. Romualdez stated that Filipinos applying for a green card would have to "go home first."
Sharvari Dalal-Dheini, director of government relations at the American Immigration Lawyers Association, says the US agency has not provided updated public guidance on the alleged walk-back of the green card memo. "Stakeholders continue to be confused and dubious of the government's claims. Until we have official word, we remain concerned and extremely cautious," Dalal-Dheini says.
Impact on US Citizens
Marie notes that the uncertainty affects not only migrants but also the US citizens they support. Gabriela, another Filipino migrant who has worked as a carer in a retirement home in California for 15 years, says compassion is "like a trademark" of Filipinos. She has cared for a 97-year-old patient for nine years. With her green card pending, she fears what would happen to her children and patients if she were forced to return to the Philippines.
Marie emphasizes the failure of governments like the Philippines to provide people with means to make a living at home. "There needs to be more leadership from both the US government and the Philippines government to understand the human impact, the human cost of these things."
A spokesperson for the Philippines embassy in Washington said the country is "recognized globally as being at the forefront of promoting and protecting the welfare and rights of Filipino nationals overseas" and that many overseas Filipinos have determined that employment abroad is better suited to their goals.
