‘Every day the policy changes’: chaos and confusion for Filipino workers over US immigration rules

The US relies on migrant workers in crucial sectors but shifting policies under Donald Trump create uncertainty and fear Jay*, a Filipino migrant, cares for an 82-year-old US veteran in San Francisco’s Bay Area who has suffered from a stroke. They were playing a word search memory game together when Jay saw the news on Facebook about a policy memo from the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS). It suggested migrants might have to return to their home countries in order to apply for their green card, which allows its holder to live and work permanently in the US, unlike temporary visas that have expiration dates and can require renewals. Within a week, the DHS appeared to have walked back the policy, but his immigration lawyer still advised him to pause his own green card application as the environment felt more uncertain than ever. “Every day the policy is changing,” Jay says. Jay is one of thousands of Filipinos in vital care-giving roles in America whose lives have become more precarious under the Trump administration’s chaotic crackdown on immigration, forcing some into more vulnerable working conditions. It is an experience he has already lived. Together with his col