A home care worker wakes at 3:30 a.m., showers, and prepares for a more than 10-hour day of attending to her clients.
She cooks. She cleans. She replaces catheter bags. She bathes her clients, checks their blood pressure and ensures they take their medication. When she wraps up her shift at the home of a disabled U.S. Iraq War veteran at 4:30 p.m., she is off the clock but returns to the home of her first client, a 92-year-old woman with dementia who lives alone, and cooks her dinner.
She earns $18.50 an hour and is provided no health care benefits. She loves her job but worries President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration and plans for mass deportations could threaten her ability to do it.
“Not all immigrants who come here cause harm. Most are here to contribute,” the home care worker told USA TODAY in Spanish through a translator. “It’s sad and disheartening to see how immigrants are being treated.”
She has asked that her real name not be used for fear of being targeted for deportation. USA TODAY has confirmed her identity, agreed to provide her anonymity, and will refer to her as “Julia.”
Julia is one of many immigrants living in the country with no clear path to citizenship. She came to the U.S. 23 years ago from El Salvador as a Temporary Protected Status holder after an earthquake devastated her home country. She now faces growing uncertainty as Trump targets others with similar legal but fragile immigration statuses, a focus that could disrupt a caregiver industry that is heavily dependent on foreign-born workers…
Rachel Barber, USA Today, March 11, 2025
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