I'm proud to contribute to America's economy as an essential worker—it's been a long road to get here. El Salvador was my first home, but after a devastating earthquake struck, I was left homeless and with nothing to call my own. Terrified and out of options, I came to the U.S. and was granted a safe haven and work permit through Temporary Protected Status (TPS). I started rebuilding a life for my family.
This International Women's Month, it's time Americans recognize that it's immigrants from all over the world, like me, who are helping drive the U.S. economy—especially in fast-growing sectors like home care that are dominated by women of color and immigrants. In fact, immigrants like myself make up three in 10 home care workers. With a record 4.1 million Baby Boomers reaching traditional retirement age this year, the demand for long-term care is rapidly increasing. Yet, there aren't enough care workers to meet this demand. That's why I'm calling on the Biden administration to expand TPS to people from Central America, Nepal, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and other countries that qualify to ensure we have people with work authorization who can help fill vacant roles.
People currently with and who are eligible for TPS contribute nearly $31 billion annually to the U.S. economy, and the immigrant workforce as a whole is injecting trillions of dollars more. A new analysis from the Economic Policy Institute showed that between January of 2023 and 2024, foreign-born workers drove a staggering 50 percent of U.S. labor market growth. According to the Congressional Budget Office, "GDP will be greater by about $7 trillion" over the next decade thanks to new immigrants.
Today, my family is ingrained in our community. Two of my children are TPS holders and the other is a U.S. citizen who is ready to vote in the 2024 election. I am proud to care for seniors and people with disabilities, and I don't do it just for a paycheck—my job is a calling. I currently provide care for two senior citizens: one battling dementia and another who is a disabled U.S. veteran. These individuals have dedicated their lives to their families, their communities, and their country, and it's my job to make sure they receive the dignified care they deserve.
All Americans deserve access to dignified, quality care. And many immigrant workers are willing and qualified to take on desperately-needed caregiving roles. The majority of my fellow workers are women, particularly Black and immigrant women. But we face too many barriers–one of which is our nation's severely outdated immigration laws that keep qualified workers from filling open roles. Despite our essential role, we're often paid lower wages, forced to work multiple jobs to get by. Home care is written out of basic labor protections, which means we often can't get sick leave or paid time off, and many of us don't have the right to form a union. Tight labor markets across the service and care economy will only get worse without changes that ensure dignity and fair treatment for immigrant workers.
One solution for hundreds of thousands of workers is TPS, which will not only transform the lives of individuals and their families by keeping families together, protected, and safe, but can also provide a path so workers already here can work without the fear of deportation.
The Biden administration has the power to take action now on TPS. By expanding and reauthorizing TPS for countries including El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Nepal, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, President Joe Biden can fulfill his commitment to keeping families together and growing our economy. Action on TPS would significantly reduce the undocumented population, jumpstart the economy, empower workers, and reduce inflation by making work permits available to help address tight labor markets. It's a win-win-win for employers, working families, and immigrant workers alike.
Immigrants like me are the invisible force behind the workforce, enabling others to go to work and keep our economy moving forward. That includes 11 million undocumented people in the U.S who add to the tax base, contribute to social security, and fuel billions of dollars of economic growth each year. Yet, historically, our contributions have been undervalued and overlooked.
During International Women's Month, let us honor the invaluable contributions of immigrant women. Let us urge President Biden to take bold action on TPS, while also creating a pathway to citizenship for all immigrants who contribute to our economy and society.
Maria Barahona is a SEIU Local 2015 member and home care provider.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
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