(NEW YORK CITY) – Nurses represented by the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) held a vigil at Maimonides Medical Center to protest the Trump Administration’s termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 350,000 Haitian Immigrants in the U.S., leaving them vulnerable to increased enforcement activity and subject to deportation.
Nurses and their allies also called for immediate Federal action to reverse the termination and renew work authorizations.
NYSNA President Nancy Hagans (pictured above) called the move an attack on health care that has already had a chilling effect on Workers and begun to create massive shortages in Health Care Facilities, disrupting care in and around New York City: “Six years ago, we stood here demanding the recognition and Safe Staffing Health Care Workers deserved during a Global Pandemic. We’re back because our Hospitals are once again facing staffing shortages – this time because the Federal Government has chosen to end Temporary Protected Status for hundreds of thousands of Haitian Immigrants. When Health Care Workers live in fear of going to work, patient care suffers. This is more than an immigration issue – it’s an issue of public health.”
During the event, Nurses spoke about the contributions Haitian Health Care Workers make to our Health Care System and the effects the termination of Haitian TPS will have on patients.
Staci Wright, who serves as a NYSNA Executive Committee Member and an EP Lab Nurse at Maimonides, said: “This Administration would have you believe Immigrants do nothing but take from the system, but as a proud daughter of Guyanese Immigrants, and a second-generation Nurse, I know that’s not true. My parents spent years working hard and contributing to society – just like so many of our Haitian Brothers and Sisters who are now squarely in harm’s way because of a dangerous political decision. It’s time for the Trump Administration to stand up for public health and the selfless Caregivers who deliver quality care, by reversing course on ending TPS for Haitian Immigrants.”
A number of Elected Officials and Community Advocates also spoke on the impact of the termination on New York City’s Immigrant Communities, patients and Health Care Workers, including New York Attorney General Letitia James, who said, “Haitian TPS holders are Community Leaders, small business owners and a foundational part of our Health Care System. They have built lives and grown families in New York. The way this Administration has targeted them is a cruel injustice and my office has fought back against it from the start. We will continue to work with our partners in Government and Community Organizations to ensure TPS holders know their rights and get the legal assistance they need.”
The Trump Administration has the power to immediately rectify this Health Care Worker shortage by restoring TPS for Haitian Immigrants, thereby reauthorizing work permits and providing legal protection from deportation, NYSNA said.
NYSNA represents 45,000 Members in New York State and is the State’s largest Union and Professional Association for Registered Nurses (RNs).
NYSNA is an affiliate of National Nurses United (NNU), the country’s largest and fastest-growing Union and Professional Association of RNs, with more than 225,000 Members nationwide.
To Read This Labor News Report In Its Entirety, Go To: NYSNA Holds Maimonides Vigil to Protest Healthcare Shortages Caused By End of TPS for Haitian Immigrants | New York State Nurses Association
Photo Courtesy Of The New York City AFL-CIO Central Labor Council.