US immigration raids keep Pinoys on edge
(First of two parts)
Against the backdrop of an administration enforcing tighter immigration policies, her uncertain residency status in the United States feels like facing death for Maria, a 54-year-old Filipino caregiver.
She has attended multiple seminars conducted by a migrants’ group on what to do if confronted by law enforcement and always keeps her legal documents on hand.
“They have given all the help they could to prepare you for the situation. [But] you know, it’s kind of like death—you don’t really know when it will happen, and you can’t fully prepare for it. Even if you’re aware, fear can still get the better of you,” Maria, not her real name, told the Inquirer in a phone interview.
“I’m ready,” she told herself as she went to a grocery store recently, reassuring herself with her identification card, license and marriage contract that she carried with her.
But as she entered the shop, she saw what appeared to be an immigration raid.
Panicked, she immediately left the place. She locked herself in her room during the following two days that she was off from work.
That had never happened to her before, she said. She called her children in the Philippines.
“I told them, just in case something happens, they should be ready. I don’t know. No one knows … That’s when people start getting arrested,” she recalled.
Potential major disruption
Filipinos working in the United States, especially those who are undocumented, are gripped by fear and anxiety amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
The stricter policies, an immigration lawyer warned, could even disrupt health-care delivery, which has a large immigrant labor force.
According to an October 2024 report by the US Department of Health and Human Services, immigrants comprise 16 percent of the total US workforce.
They make up 31 percent of home care workers, 22 percent of residential care aides, and 22 percent of nursing assistants in nursing homes, according to the document prepared by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation.
Based on data from the Department of Migrant Workers, nearly half—47.55 percent, or 921—of overseas Filipino workers deployed to the United States last year were health-care professionals.
Staffing shortages
Mark del Rosario, a Filipino in-house immigration lawyer for a US health-care staffing agency, said employers recognize the shortage of health-care professionals with a significant number of workers retiring or leaving the workforce daily due to aging.
Hospitals are already struggling with staffing shortages, he said, noting that these employers will feel the impact even more with tighter immigration policies, as they will have a harder time bringing in foreign nurses.
“For example, nurses in particular are not eligible for an H-1B (visa), so they must apply for a green card. And since the process takes longer for both petitioners and applicants, many lose their legal status or have to leave the country,” Del Rosario explained to the Inquirer.
This leads to “a disruption in health-care delivery,” he said.
The H-1B visa is a nonimmigrant visa that allows US employers to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations requiring at least a bachelor’s degree or equivalent expertise.
This means that the nursing position must be considered a specialty occupation—a qualification most registered nurse positions do not meet.
As a result, bringing foreign nurses to the United States has already been “significantly delayed,” Del Rosario said.
Students in training
Another challenge, he pointed out, is the situation of those already in the United States on valid visas, such as F-1 student visa holders working under Optional Practical Training (OPT).
Many had hoped to apply for a green card while working under OPT, but their visas had expired before they could apply for a change of status.
“So it’s a challenge on how to stay in the US and how to maintain work authorization because, on the other hand, the employers are expecting you to work continuously to provide the needed health-care services,” he said.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of registered nurses is projected to grow 6 percent from 2023 to 2033, faster than the average for all occupations.
“About 194,500 openings for registered nurses are projected each year, on average, over the decade,” the agency said, noting that demand for health-care services will increase due to the growing number of older people, who typically have more medical needs than younger populations.
Registered nurses will also be needed to educate and care for patients with chronic conditions, such as diabetes and obesity.
Safety concerns
Maria, part of the broader health-care workforce as a caregiver, is now considering leaving her current employer due to safety concerns.
She first visited the United States in 2016 with plans to settle permanently with her children from her first marriage. But she had to frequently fly between the United States and the Philippines because her children’s births were not registered.
Her last entry in the United States was in December 2019. She tried to return home multiple times in 2020 but was unable to due to the pandemic travel restrictions.
Stranded in the United States, she met her second husband and has been working as a caregiver since then.
Her second husband is a Filipino US citizen who later abandoned her.
She has since filed for divorce, which is still pending, and plans to pursue a Violence Against Women Act (Vawa) case. However, she remains uncertain about her status, especially with stricter immigration policies affecting others like her in similar situations.
Stressful to watch him
Currently employed by a Trump supporter, she laments the daily stress of watching news about the president and being asked for her opinion on political issues.
“I have told my agency that I want to stop taking care of my patient because I get scared every time they ask me something. I feel like I’m lying to them, even though we haven’t really talked about (my status). But I have no choice because I fear for my safety,” she said.
The anxiety Maria faces, however, is not unique to undocumented immigrants or those with uncertain status because even Filipinos with legal status are experiencing similar fears.
