During the week of January 20, 2026, LeadingAge and its members participated in two events focused on the impending February 3, 2026 termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti, highlighting the consequences for aging services providers and the older adults they serve.

At both events—one on Tuesday, January 20 in Massachusetts; another on Thursday, January 22 in Washington DC (see photo, right)—advocates aimed to underscore how the Trump administration’s policy decision to de-document Haitian TPS holders will exacerbate workforce shortages—jeopardizing the wellbeing of older adults nationwide by limiting access to care and threatening providers’ continuity of operations.

On January 20, Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) and Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) convened a congressional field hearing in Mattapan, MA, to examine the humanitarian, economic, and community consequences of ending TPS for Haiti. Testimony from TPS holders, advocates, service providers, and community leaders illustrated the breadth of the issue. Elissa Sherman, president, LeadingAge Massachusetts, detailed the essential role foreign-born workers play in aging services, while Colin O’Leary of LeadingAge member community Laurel Ridge Rehabilitation & Skilled Care Center described the staffing challenges his organization, part of the Ascentria Care Alliance, is already experiencing and the risks current policies pose to his community’s ability to deliver care.

Two days later, on January 22, Rep. Pressley’s office hosted a Capitol Hill press conference to sound the alarm on the upcoming TPS termination and its implications for seniors and the care economy. LeadingAge president and CEO Katie Smith joined Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL) and Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY) of the House Haiti Caucus, as well as other healthcare and immigration advocates, to highlight the indispensable contributions Haitian TPS holders play in aging services and called for swift congressional action on the issue. Rob Liebreich, CEO of LeadingAge member Goodwin Living, along with a resident of Goodwin House Alexandria, reinforced the real-world impact of this policy decision on workforce stability in long-term care.

The press conference also served as a launchpad for Care for Seniors, Care for America, the new awareness raising campaign from LeadingAge and partner organizations, including the American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC), spotlighting how immigration policy directly affects the country’s ability to meet the care needs of a rapidly growing older adult population.