Immigrant Workforce Crisis in Factories
Workplace stress has increased for Jaelin Carpenter. She leads a team of 26 at a major appliance manufacturer, but four of her team members recently discovered that their immigration status had been revoked.
Crises Sparked by Political Changes
Under the previous administration, these workers were protected by a program designed to aid individuals fleeing humanitarian crises in their home countries. This program allowed them to live and work in the United States for two years. However, this program was unexpectedly terminated by the current administration, leaving these individuals without legal status or work authorization. Carpenter found herself overwhelmed by the pleas for help from her distraught colleagues.
Dealing with the Unexpected
As both a team leader on an assembly line for washing machines and a union shop steward, Carpenter was accustomed to handling a variety of work-related queries. Yet, she was unprepared for this situation. Her colleagues looked to her for answers, but she had none to provide, which she found disheartening.
The affected team members were responsible for some of the most challenging tasks on the line, such as installing hoses on washers and attaching platforms that support the motors. "These are people who are on critical jobs," Carpenter noted. Their abrupt departure left a void in the workforce.
Immigration Policy Reversal and Its Impact
Recent changes in immigration policy have led to job losses among immigrant workers in various sectors, including manufacturing and food production. Instead of immigration raids, these job losses resulted from the termination of programs that previously granted temporary permission for these individuals to live and work in the U.S.
More than half a million immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, who had been given two-year humanitarian parole through a program known as CHNV, were affected. Close to one million immigrants who had secured appointments at the U.S.-Mexico border through a government app also felt the impact.
Despite ongoing legal battles, the reversal of these immigration policies has left employers scrambling to replace workers no longer authorized to work or even stay in the U.S.
Workforce Struggles Amid Policy Changes
Julie Wood, head of corporate communications for the appliance manufacturing company, noted that the company has seen 148 employees lose their eligibility to work. While the company keeps replacement workers on standby and has increased this pool during the current uncertainty, the sudden departures have caused significant upheaval.
Carpenter, for instance, has found training new people to be a demanding task. She worries about potential errors and is uncertain about which employees will be on the job each day. "I can't control it," she lamented. "Nothing I can do about it."
A Call for Increased Immigration
Despite assurances from companies like the appliance manufacturer that they are adequately staffed at present, there are growing concerns within the wider business community that these immigration policies could cause problems in the near future.
The regional chamber of commerce has long advocated for increased immigration. "In today's exceptionally tight labor market, decreased legal immigration has contributed to stifling our economy," the chamber states in its future agenda. "American businesses are experiencing significant workforce shortages despite investments in expanding domestic pipelines."
Looking Forward Amid Uncertainty
The demographics of the region are changing, with domestic migration declining and international migration increasing. "Louisville metro itself would have lost population last year without international migration," says Sarah Ehresman, director of labor market intelligence at the workforce development board known as KentuckianaWorks.
Even as companies navigate these changes, the appliance manufacturer recently announced two new production lines, expecting to need an additional 800 workers by 2027. However, more workers could be lost if the temporary protected status for people from several countries is not extended.
Despite the current challenges, workers like Michel Ange Lucas, who builds refrigerators for the appliance manufacturer, believe that it's unfair for people who had the government's permission to work in the U.S. to suddenly find themselves in legal limbo. "The people are not illegal," Lucas says. "Politics made them illegal. But they were never illegal."