July 20, 2026

Dear Mr. President:

As the Supreme Court recently confirmed, the Constitution gives you the authority to administer the nation’s immigration laws, including Temporary Protected Status (TPS). We appreciate that this responsibility entrusts you with difficult decisions affecting our nation’s security, economy, and borders, and we recognize that your securing the nation’s borders has laid the foundation for a strong and thoughtful immigration policy going forward.  We also trust that you will be guided by your pragmatism and experience.

As employers responsible for thousands of Massachusetts jobs and billions of dollars in economic activity, we respectfully request a defined 12- to 18-month transition period before the termination of work authorization or removal of Haitian and similarly situated TPS workers. We recognize that every transition plan must have an end point. Our request is that businesses, workers, and communities be given sufficient time to prepare responsibly for that transition.

Your Administration has consistently emphasized support for working families and a strong American economy. Those objectives depend upon a stable labor force. Abrupt workforce losses in health care, elder care, transportation, construction, hospitality, and food services would increase operating costs, reduce productivity, disrupt essential services, and ultimately place upward pressure on prices paid by American consumers. A carefully managed transition would better serve both immigration enforcement and your broader economic agenda.

Haitian TPS holders are an important part of the Massachusetts workforce. Many have lived here for years, followed the law, passed background checks, received federal work authorization, paid taxes, and filled positions that Massachusetts employers have struggled to staff with American workers. They serve as nurses’ aides, home health workers, retail employees, warehouse workers, food service workers, drivers, cleaners, construction workers, and small-business employees.

The economic impact of losing these workers without sufficient time to plan for their departure would be substantial. Nearly 45,000 Haitian TPS holders live in Massachusetts. They are an important part of our health care workforce: 40 percent of the front-line staff in Massachusetts nursing homes are foreign-born, many of them Haitian, and approximately 1,500 workers in Massachusetts nursing care facilities alone stand to be affected by the loss of TPS. A recent multistate analysis found that Massachusetts TPS-holder households collectively earned approximately $597.7 million in income; paid nearly $134.2 million in federal, state, and local taxes; and generated approximately $463.5 million in spending power.

Because so many TPS holders work in health care and elder care, Massachusetts would experience a particularly severe disruption. Our Commonwealth already faces critical staffing shortages in nursing facilities, home care, disability services, and long-term care. The sudden loss of experienced, legally authorized employees would affect not only those workers themselves, but also patients, families, hospitals, nursing homes, employers, and public budgets.

This challenge extends well beyond Massachusetts. Nationwide, Haitian TPS holders contribute an estimated $5.9 billion annually to the U.S. economy, while TPS holders across all designated countries contribute approximately $29 billion each year and pay an estimated $7.8 billion in combined federal, state, and local taxes. Abrupt workforce losses would weaken industries already facing labor shortages, increase costs for American consumers, reduce tax revenues, and slow economic growth.

We fully support the long-term goal of strengthening the American workforce. Our request is for sufficient time to recruit, train, and retain American workers without disrupting the delivery of essential services or imposing unnecessary costs on our nation’s businesses and families.

Accordingly, we respectfully ask your Administration to provide a 12- to 18-month transition period before terminating work authorization or initiating the removal of Haitian and other TPS holders. That period would allow employers, workforce boards, educational institutions, and state officials to develop responsible workforce transition plans while preserving continuity of care and essential services, especially for elderly patients.

We also encourage your Administration to consider other practical, market-based approaches that reinforce your longstanding commitment to placing American workers first. One option would be a temporary transition program for foreign workers that is limited to existing TPS holders who have maintained continuous employment and good legal standing. Employers could be required to demonstrate good-faith recruitment of U.S. workers, payment of prevailing wages, compliance with labor standards, and participation in workforce development initiatives. Such safeguards would protect American workers while giving employers time to replace experienced personnel in an orderly manner.

Massachusetts businesses are prepared to do our part. We stand ready to work with you to support workforce planning, employer compliance, training pipelines, and lawful transition measures. Together, we can strengthen the country’s workforce while avoiding unnecessary disruption to patients, families, employers, and the economy.

Mr. President, the Supreme Court has confirmed your authority to determine the future of Temporary Protected Status. We respectfully ask that you exercise that authority in a manner that advances both the rule of law and the economic strength of the United States. With a limited transition period and a practical workforce strategy, we believe those objectives can be achieved together.

Respectfully,

Massachusetts Competitive Partnership
Massachusetts Business Round Table
Associated Industries of Massachusetts
The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce
Massachusetts General Hospital
Eastern Bankshares, Inc.
The HYM Investment Group, LLC
CBT
CMBG3
Boston Hub Capital
One Percent for America
Hebrew SeniorLife
Eastern Bank Foundation
The Boston Foundation
Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council
Massachusetts Senior Care Association
New Bedford Community Health
Thrive Support and Advocacy
JVS Boston
Hillcrest Educational Foundation