Dr. Hans Patrick Domercant has been getting more phone calls than usual.
As president of the U.S. Haitian Chamber of Commerce, he works to assist and advise local business owners and workers of Haitian background.
In early February, a federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s termination of Temporary Protective Status for Haitian immigrants, which had been set to take effect Feb. 3. The ruling allowed Haitian TPS holders to keep their legal work authorization and protection from deportation while the case moves forward.
For now, the status remains in legal limbo as the administration pursues an appeal to the Supreme Court.
“People are thankful that the recent court decision provided a pause,” Domercant said, “But no one feels fully secure. The conversations I’m having are very real and very personal — people asking, ‘Am I going to be able to keep working?’ ‘Is my family going to be OK?’”
The Trump administration has pursued an aggressive effort to scale back TPS protections for several countries as part of a broader push to narrow humanitarian immigration programs. Since taking office, the administration has moved to terminate TPS designations for countries including Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Afghanistan, Cameroon and Nepal, arguing that conditions in those nations have improved enough to no longer justify the protections.
TPS, allows migrants from countries experiencing armed conflict, environmental disaster or other extraordinary conditions to live and work legally in the United States. Haiti was designated for TPS after the devastating 2010 earthquake that killed an estimated 300,000 people and displaced millions more.
Massachusetts is among the states with the largest Haitian immigrant populations, according to the Migration Policy Institute. The community makes up a significant share of the workforce in Greater Boston and across the commonwealth, particularly in the health care sector, where many work in nursing homes, home health care agencies and long-term care facilities.
“They are essential,” Domercant said. “These are people who have been here for years. They’ve built lives. They’ve built careers. They’re not temporary in the way the word sounds.”
Doug Howgate, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, said the potential loss of TPS workers would add pressure to a state economy already struggling with labor shortages. Massachusetts has faced slow workforce growth and domestic outmigration for years, he said, making international immigration an increasingly important source of labor and economic stability.
“Our labor force has grown since the pandemic, and some of the biggest increases in our labor force in two decades are entirely driven by international immigration,” Howgate said. “International immigration has been what has enabled Massachusetts to have a growing population and to have a growing economy.”
Howgate said the dynamic is especially important in health care. Any change that reduces the number of available workers could worsen staffing shortages in hospitals, long-term care facilities and home health settings.
If employers are competing for fewer workers, Howgate said, labor costs could rise, adding strain to providers already operating under pressure while trying to maintain patient care.
“There’s going to be dollars chasing fewer people, which means it could potentially drive up some personnel costs as well.”
More broadly, Howgate said uncertainty around immigration status can slow economic growth by making it harder for businesses to plan and expand.
For many Haitian immigrants in Massachusetts, TPS has functioned as more than a temporary administrative status. It has been the legal framework that has allowed them to buy homes and start businesses. The possibility of losing that framework — even if not immediate — creates what Domercant describes as “emotional and economic whiplash.”
He worries that prolonged uncertainty could stall economic mobility and community investment.
While the federal court decision has temporarily preserved protections, immigration advocates say the uncertainty itself is already having consequences.
Elizabeth Sweet, executive director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, said Haitian TPS holders remain legally authorized to live and work in the United States while the case proceeds. But she said confusion, and in some cases misinformation, have already created instability in workplaces across the state.
“At the moment, individuals with Haitian TPS have a continuing legal status and a continuing work authorization,” Sweet said.
Sweet said her organization has received reports of workers being let go prematurely because employers believed TPS protections were ending immediately.
“That’s not a valid reason to lay someone off,” she said.
Three Haitian TPS holders were laid off by Tribute Home Care, based on their status expiring later that week. Even through the federal ruling extended work authorization, GBH reported.
Several Haitian-born residents contacted for this story declined interview requests, saying they feared being identified while their status remains uncertain.
Their reluctance to speak publicly reflects the anxiety and instability that advocates and community leaders say have intensified in recent weeks. Even with the court’s temporary block in place, some workers remain wary that public exposure could carry professional or personal consequences.
For health care providers already navigating chronic staffing shortages, even small disruptions can ripple quickly through patient care systems.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, recruitment pipelines have thinned while burnout has increased. Losing experienced staff would likely compound those pressures.
Sweet argued that the underlying conditions that justified the status remain.
“The conditions in Haiti are truly the type of conditions that temporary protected status was meant to address,” she said.
While state officials in Massachusetts have issued guidance to employers about navigating immigration-related uncertainty, immigration status itself is determined at the federal level.
In the meantime, prolonged instability carries broader economic implications. Small business lending decisions, expansion plans and hiring strategies often depend on predictability. If thousands of workers face potential loss of work authorization, employers may hesitate to invest.
Domercant said that hesitancy is already creeping into conversations.
“When people feel secure, they build,” Domercant said. “They buy homes. They start businesses. They pursue education. That benefits everyone — not just the Haitian community, but the entire state.”
This uncertainty places workers in a difficult position even before any formal change takes effect. Some may hesitate to pursue jobs, apply for promotions or make major financial commitments while their status remains under review.
Others may find themselves having to repeatedly explain their legal status to employers unfamiliar with TPS protections and court rulings. That confusion can deepen anxiety for workers who are still legally authorized to remain employed.
“It’s not just about jobs,” Domercant said. “It’s about the ability to plan a life.”
If TPS were ultimately terminated and work authorization revoked, the impact would be felt beyond the Haitian community.
Health care facilities would scramble to fill gaps, small businesses owned by TPS holders might close or scale back operations, affecting landlords, suppliers and local tax bases.
The potential effects on the health care sector also reflect broader risks for other industries in Massachusetts that rely on TPS workers. While the consequences may be especially visible in health care, the disruption would not stop there.
Employers across multiple sectors depend on TPS holders to fill essential roles, and any loss of work authorization could shrink the labor pool at a time when many businesses are already facing hiring challenges, according to Bloomberg Law.
For now, the court’s temporary block has bought time.
