Home Healthcare and Immigration 

President Trump’s immigration crackdown has raised concerns in the home healthcare industry, which relies greatly on immigrant labor. As the United States’ population ages, the demand for home health and personal care aides grows. However, many of these professionals are foreign-born. The administration’s efforts to revoke work permits, increase deportations, and limit immigration have already caused staffing shortages in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.

Immigrants account for almost one-third of all home healthcare workers in the United States, or 32% as of 2023. That’s a significant percentage of the workforce, especially given how important these jobs are for those who rely on support such as seniors and those with disabilities.

According to the 2021 American Community Survey,  there are approximately 222,000 home health aides who are immigrants in the United States. The largest share came from the Dominican Republic (19%), followed by China and Hong Kong (10%), Mexico (9%), Jamaica (8%), and Haiti (5%). 

As for personal care aides who focus primarily on non-medical care, immigrants most commonly came from from Mexico (22%), the Philippines (11%), and both China/Hong Kong and Nigeria, each accounting for 4%. These figures highlight the critical role that immigrants play in supporting the U.S. home care workforce.

  Nikki Villavicencio who lives in Minnesota relies on personal care assistants to assist her with everyday needs, such as eating, showering, laundry, and toileting. She estimates that immigrants have made up approximately 40% of her employees over the years. 

Even if the people she works with aren’t directly affected by deportations, their anxieties and the possible consequences for their families can have a knock-on effect, according to Villavicencio, a Maplewood City Council member with arthrogryposis.

Arthrogryposis is a broad term for the development of nonprogressive contractures affecting one or more parts of the body before birth. A contracture is a condition in which a joint becomes permanently stuck in a bent (flexed) or straightened (extended) position. This limits the movement of the affected joint totally or partially. “It affects the whole system of home care,” she said last year. “When my [personal care assistant’s] life is being threatened or is disrupted … that directly affects my care.” 

Immigrants play an important role in  home healthcare in America. They provide necessary medical and personal care that allows millions of people to live independently. Their skills and passion fill crucial employment gaps while also adding cultural diversity. All employees must be supported in order for this essential industry to remain stable.

Sources:

“Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita.” NORD (National Organization for Rare Disorders), National Institutes of Health, 19 July 2019, https://rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/arthrogryposis-multiplex-congenita/.

Batalova, Jeanne. “Immigrant Health‑Care Workers in the United States.” Migration Policy Institute, 7 Apr. 2023, Migration Policy Institute: Migration Information Source.

Caldwell, Alicia A., and Augusta Saraiva. “Trump’s Migrant Crackdown Threatens to Make Hiring Home Health Aides Harder.” Bloomberg, Bloomberg L.P., 16 June 2025, http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-06-16/trump-s-migrant-crackdown-threatens-to-make-hiring-home-health-aides-harder.

Chidambaram, Priya, and Drishti Pillai. “What Role Do Immigrants Play in the Direct Long‑Term Care Workforce?” KFF, KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation), 2 Apr. 2025, http://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/what-role-do-immigrants-play-in-the-direct-long-term-care-workforce/.

VanBerkel, Jessie. “Minnesota Lacks Caregivers. What Could Trump’s Policies Mean for a Workforce That Relies on Immigrants?” The Star Tribune , Star Tribune Media Company, 15 Feb. 2025, http://www.startribune.com/minnesota-lacks-caregivers-what-could-trumps-policies-mean-for-a-workforce-that-relies-on-immigrants/601223265.