Eddie Weinstein’s stroke paralyzed the right side of his body and left his daughter, Caroline, scrambling.
“I knew the only way that he would survive and I would survive would be to have him live at home with care,” she told CBS News.
So, in 2020, Marcia became their home health aide.
“It was the first time since my dad’s stroke that I could trust somebody. To know that he would be okay,” Caroline said.
Marcia, 53, is from Honduras. Her career as a health care aide began 25 years ago, after Hurricane Mitch devastated her home country and she was granted Temporary Protected Status, giving her legal authorization to work in the United States. She did not want to use her last name for fear of being targeted by federal immigration authorities.
Now, the White House says conditions in Honduras have improved, and the Temporary Protected Status for more than 50,000 Hondurans, including Marcia, expires Monday.
“Sometimes I feel sad. Sometimes I feel angry,” Marcia told CBS News.
Asked about how the U.S. should handle people granted TPS once the designation ends, Marcia suggested there should be some sort of path to getting a green card.
“Because we are in this system already, 25 years paying taxes,” she said.
Marcia works for Sunnyside Community Services in New York City, where more than 900 home health aides — more than 90% — are foreign-born, according to the nonprofit.
Sunnyside Community Services Executive Director Judy Zangwill said she’s “very concerned” about the revocation of TPS, saying “it could exacerbate already a nationwide shortage and could result in a shortage for us as well” when it comes to health care aides.
This past weekend was Marcia’s last with the Weinstein family.
“Sad for me and sad for them,” Marcia said.
Caroline added, “When you find somebody that you can trust that loves your loved one at like such a vulnerable time, it’s terrifying to think about losing them.”
Marcia said she isn’t sure what she’s going to do next. She’s essentially alone in the U.S., and it’s been decades since she was last in Honduras.
The Trump administration says migrants who had TPS and choose to self-deport can get a free plane ticket, $1,000 and a potential future chance to legally migrate to the U.S., although it has not provided further details on how it would facilitate future legal migration.
Camilo Montoya-Galvez
contributed to this report.
