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Independent Singapore
7 hours ago
- Business
- Independent Singapore
Trump's immigration crackdown could shatter the backbone of American childcare
USA: Catalina, 23 years old, self-assuredly goes to her job as a child caregiver, receiving a reasonable wage for work she loves. On the other hand, her mother, a settler from Peru with no proper papers, has the same job and works the same hours, yet has spent the last three decades lurking in the shadows, receiving a lower salary and taking on more risks. 'I've done very well because I was born here,' Catalina was quoted as saying in a recent CNN report. 'The pay is very good when you speak Spanish, but my mom doesn't get the same.' Catalina's name was changed to protect her family, especially her mother, who had considered returning to Peru when Obama was still president. Heartened by the decrease in interior extraditions and comforted by her community, she remained in the U.S. Nonetheless, the Trump era ushered in a different kind of distress—one that remains. Catalina now has legal papers that name her as custodian of her younger siblings should her mother be imprisoned. 'It's awful to think about, but she feels prepared,' Catalina says. An essential workforce in crisis Childcare in the U.S. is at a snapping point—and refugees, like Catalina's mom, are indispensable to keep it going. 'Immigrant workers are critical to keeping that system running,' says Wendy Cervantes, director of Immigration and Immigrant Families at the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP). According to data from the National Women's Law Center, 20% of early childhood instructors are migrants. Many are women working without incentives or bonuses, with no job security, and often without basic labour protections. Catalina's mother is among the many who are in this situation. 'She gets paid in cash or by check, but no benefits. Nothing,' Catalina said. Until now, she continues to work, making both ends meet for her family and paying her duties despite having no proper access to the structure she helps thrive. Fear on the school run For Catalina's mother, even picking up the children she looks after can be frightening. Since the Trump government revoked protections that once nominated schools and other sites as 'sensitive locations' off-limits to immigration prosecution, the dread of being arrested keeps nagging at her. 'She hides in the car when she sees police officers,' Catalina said. 'Sometimes I meet her there so she feels safer.' The absence or lack of policies that once provided slight protection now leaves caregivers without legal status, extremely vulnerable. 'There's no prioritization anymore,' says Cervantes. 'Everyone without status is a target.' Without regulations and monitoring, even long-time residents who contribute to the community can be taken by enforcers. The silent cost of deportation Catalina dreams of building a home for her mother in Peru, a place of refuge, should the need ever arise. 'Here, my mom has no one,' she says. 'But she says, 'My daughter will be left alone,' and that frightens her too.' The emotional and logistical burden of parting from each other weighs heavily on families like theirs. In the meantime, the political push for extended extradition controls could undermine the nation's delicate childcare system. 'If we lose immigrant workers, especially those who care for our children, we will all suffer,' Cervantes warns. The unseen toil of non-status caregivers sustains not just individual families but also props up the larger economy. Without them, working parents across the country would struggle to keep going. Catalina's mother is more than just a babysitter; she's a huge chunk of an imperceptible system that keeps America running. Her story serves as a poignant reminder of how vital yet vulnerable this labor force truly is.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Outrage after Trump administration suspends job training program for low-income youth
The Trump administration's Department of Labor announced on Thursday it would suspend operations of the Job Corps training program, prompting bipartisan criticism. 'The Department should have attempted to fix them but, instead of working with the contractors and helping students, they've just decided to send the students home,' Representative Steve Cohen, Democrat of Tennessee, wrote in a statement. 'The Department of Labor apparently has no plans for an improved product or a new approach. This careless approach will upset the lives of too many ambitious members of a future workforce, and should be condemned.' Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, also said she 'strongly' opposes pausing the program as part of the administration's push to cut spending, calling the Job Corps centers in her state 'important pillars of support for some of our most disadvantaged young adults.' The Labor Department announced the shift on Thursday, saying it 'reflects the Administration's commitment to ensure federal workforce investments deliver meaningful results for both students and taxpayers.' It argued the program, created in 1964 to offer free residential education and job training to low-income teens and young adults, was delivering poor results. 'Job Corps was created to help young adults build a pathway to a better life through education, training, and community,' Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said in a statement announcing the pause, which will occur by the end of June. 'However, a startling number of serious incident reports and our in-depth fiscal analysis reveal the program is no longer achieving the intended outcomes that students deserve.' The Department said the program ran a $140 million deficit last year. In 2023, according to government data, the program spent over $80,000 per pupil to achieve a 38.6 percent graduation rate. Other critics took issue with the legality of pausing the program, which has served over 2 million people. 'Congress appropriated funding for Job Corps, and the Trump Administration can't just decide to not spend it because they want to make room for tax cuts for billionaires,' Senator Tammy Baldwin, Democrat of Wisconsin, said in a statement to The Hill. The administration has pushed for other cuts at the Labor Department, including seeking to cancel leases held by the Mine Safety and Health Administration, though this week it dropped that effort. The Trump administration's 2026 budget has proposed cutting 4,000 full-time staffers from the department, about a quarter of its current workforce.
The Independent
10 hours ago
- Business
- The Independent
Outrage after Trump administration suspends job training program for low-income youth
The Trump administration 's Department of Labor announced on Thursday it would suspend operations of the Job Corps training program, prompting bipartisan criticism. 'The Department should have attempted to fix them but, instead of working with the contractors and helping students, they've just decided to send the students home,' Representative Steve Cohen, Democrat of Tennessee, wrote in a statement. 'The Department of Labor apparently has no plans for an improved product or a new approach. This careless approach will upset the lives of too many ambitious members of a future workforce, and should be condemned.' Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, also said she 'strongly' opposes pausing the program as part of the administration's push to cut spending, calling the Job Corps centers in her state 'important pillars of support for some of our most disadvantaged young adults.' The Labor Department announced the shift on Thursday, saying it 'reflects the Administration's commitment to ensure federal workforce investments deliver meaningful results for both students and taxpayers.' It argued the program, created in 1964 to offer free residential education and job training to low-income teens and young adults, was delivering poor results. 'Job Corps was created to help young adults build a pathway to a better life through education, training, and community,' Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said in a statement announcing the pause, which will occur by the end of June. 'However, a startling number of serious incident reports and our in-depth fiscal analysis reveal the program is no longer achieving the intended outcomes that students deserve.' The Department said the program ran a $140 million deficit last year. In 2023, according to government data, the program spent over $80,000 per pupil to achieve a 38.6 percent graduation rate. Other critics took issue with the legality of pausing the program, which has served over 2 million people. 'Congress appropriated funding for Job Corps, and the Trump Administration can't just decide to not spend it because they want to make room for tax cuts for billionaires,' Senator Tammy Baldwin, Democrat of Wisconsin, said in a statement to The Hill. The administration has pushed for other cuts at the Labor Department, including seeking to cancel leases held by the Mine Safety and Health Administration, though this week it dropped that effort. The Trump administration's 2026 budget has proposed cutting 4,000 full-time staffers from the department, about a quarter of its current workforce.
Bloomberg
14 hours ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
US Transport Department Pauses Planned Workforce Cuts Due to Litigation
The US Transportation Department said it's pausing planned cuts to its workforce while it waits for resolution in pending legal battles over the Trump administration's efforts to significantly reduce the size of the federal government. A spokesperson for the department said Friday that it's holding off on reduction-in-force and reorganization plans due to ongoing litigation and will revisit the matter once those issues are worked out. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told employees in a town hall earlier this month that he expected the layoffs to begin at the end of May.
Bloomberg
17 hours ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Telehealth Firm Hims Cuts Over 4% of Staff in Strategy Shift
Hims & Hers Health Inc. is cutting more than 4% of its workforce as it pivots away from selling cheap copycat versions of popular weight-loss drugs. The San Francisco-based telehealth company employs more than 1,600 staff. The moves will affect 68 people across various divisions, a spokesperson said. The company didn't say which positions will be affected.
