Home healthcare is expensive, and it’s getting more so amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, according to a new report from the advocacy group America’s Voice.
Americans are now subject to what the report calls an “ICE tax,” which refers to rising costs related to a surge in immigration enforcement activity across the U.S. and here in Santa Fe, where at least a dozen people were arrested by immigration agents in late August.
The tax hits hardest in sectors of the economy heavily dependent on immigrant labor, with the report finding a 10.7% increase in the cost of home health care in the past year.
That’s not a good thing for a state with a growing population of seniors, said U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez.
“Our children, our seniors, and families and folks with special needs deserve better, and the administration’s immigration crackdown is making matters worse for all Americans,” he said Thursday during a news conference.
Vasquez, a Democrat who is facing Republican challenger Greg Cunningham in a race to represent New Mexico’s most closely divided congressional district, has proposed legislation to create a new visa category for qualified childcare providers, eldercare workers and in-home aides for people with disabilities — could be part of the solution.
The bill, introduced in early June as the Careworker Visa Act, has yet to receive a committee hearing in the Republican-controlled House.
Vasquez calls it a commonsense fix to our immigration that strengthens the economy and brings down costs for all Americans.
Zeke Hernandez, an associate professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, described the economy of the second Trump administration as an “economy of fear” in places targeted by ICE.
“An economy of fear is very bad for everyone,” he said Thursday during the news conference.
‘Workforce shortages’
The America’s Voice report identifies some ways Americans are already paying the ICE tax as prices jump in industries that rely heavily on immigrant labor. The cost of fruits, vegetables and milk have all risen by between 6% and 32% in the past year, outpacing inflation, the report states. Landscaping and construction costs are up, too.
Home healthcare is “one of the clearest examples of the ICE tax,” the report states — and one of the most consequential amid a shortage of caregivers and a growing population of seniors in need of their services. By 2030, New Mexico is projected to have the fourth-highest percentage of people over age 65 of any state in the nation.
That growing population will rely on immigrant caregivers to provide aid. Nationwide, about three in 10 direct care workers — who assist clients with the activities of daily living like eating, bathing and dressing — are immigrants, according to a report published in July by the health research and policy organization KFF.
In New Mexico, KFF found that figure is lower, with about 12% of those workers being immigrants.
Caregiving is a tough job, said Blanca Sánchez, a member of the New Mexico Careworker Coalition. She works 60 hours a week — for $12 an hour — for a client who requires daily care. Even still, she said she sometimes has trouble covering her own expenses.
“We need more caregivers, better salaries and working conditions to keep people in this line of work,” Sánchez said in Spanish during the news conference.
New Mexico already faces a shortage of direct care workers — which could get worse in some parts of the industry amid heightened immigration enforcement actions, said Meggin Lorino, executive director of the New Mexico Association for Home & Hospice Care.
Lorino’s association represents Medicare- and Medicaid-participating home care and hospice agencies, which have long required workers to meet federal work eligibility requirements.
However, informal and privately funded options — which make up a big chunk of caregiving in the state — may be subject to a “significant cooling effect” as a result of immigration enforcement activity, she said in an interview.
“Workforce shortages in any part of the market ultimately translates into fewer caregivers able to serve New Mexicans,” Lorino said.
“We should be looking at every responsible policy option that expands the pool of qualified people that are willing to do this critical work in the home,” she said.
Under Vasquez’s proposal, three-year visas would be open to applicants living in other countries as well as undocumented people who have lived in the U.S. since at least 2024. After three years, successful applicants would be able to renew their work visas or pursue lawful permanent residency.
“Supporting immigrants doesn’t come at the cost of American citizens. In fact, just the opposite is true,” Vasquez said.
Margaret O’Hara reports on issues affecting healthy communities in New Mexico. Her work is funded by a grant from Anchorum Health Foundation. Anchorum will not have any role in editorial decisions. The New Mexican and its Public Service Journalism Fund retain full editorial control. Philanthropically funded stories by The New Mexican are made available to all readers without a paywall.
