NNU condemns Supreme Court decisions on temporary protected status, asylum

National Nurses United (NNU) today condemns the devastating rulings by the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) that advance President Trump's fascist immigration agenda. Two cruel and callous decisions ended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for hundreds of thousands of Haitians and Syrians and removed protections for asylum seekers. TPS is a program designed to protect immigrants fleeing dangerous conditions in their home country.

The conservative majority's 6-3 decision sided with Trump and then-Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem to immediately place more than 350,000 Haitian people at risk for job loss and deportation to a country in crisis.

As the largest nurses union in the country, many immigrants ourselves, we will not stand back as the Trump administration continues to strip our neighbors, coworkers, and families of protections to stay in this country, which they call home. This attack is personal, as there are more than 103,000 Haitian health care workers in the United States.

This unconscionable ruling will leave thousands more immigrants - not just registered nurses and health care workers, but also teachers, airport workers, hard-working people - vulnerable to the Trump administration's deadly, money-making deportation machine. These racist attacks on our communities are funded by trillion-dollar cuts to Medicaid and Medicare that affect all Americans, no matter the color of their skin. This decision will further strain our health care workforce and worsen the nurse staffing crisis.

NNU was proud to participate in labor's lawsuit against the Trump administration. This decision will not deter our fight to protect our immigrant neighbors. NNU is calling on the U.S. Senate to codify TPS status for Haitians by passing legislation led by Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Sen. Ed Markey. NNU endorsed S. 4815/H.R. 1689, which would designate TPS for Haiti until 2029. The Pressley bill passed the House via discharge petition in April with significant bipartisan support.

The Supreme Court also issued a devastating 6-3 ruling to restrict asylum-seekers from entering the United States. The court ruled that immigration officials at the U.S.-Mexico border are allowed to turn away asylum seekers before they can apply for protection.

This means immigrants fleeing violence and instability in their home countries will be forced into a queue at the border and face greater risk to their health and safety. As nurses, we know firsthand that the spread of communicable disease, threat of dehydration, and lack of consistent medical care are a threat to public health and safety.

Black and brown immigrants are bearing the brunt of Trump's fascist attack on the working class. They face discrimination, deportation, and even death when forced to return to their country of origin. The Republican-led Congress just handed over an additional $70 billion for immigration enforcement when the Trump Administration is creating more administrative barriers to entry and closing pathways to citizenship. These actions should sound the alarm for labor unions, human rights organizations, and policymakers alike, as they clearly signal a ramping up of a fascist deportation machine to remove anyone who opposes the Trump administration.

If we don't fight back, these decisions will only be the beginning. We care for our communities, and despite the administration's attacks on immigrants, nurses, and Black and brown people, we will not back down.

National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States with more than 225,000 members nationwide. NNU affiliates include California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, DC Nurses Association, Michigan Nurses Association, Minnesota Nurses Association, and New York State Nurses Association.