LOUISVILLE, Ky. — At a GE Appliances plant in Louisville, 5,000 workers produce kitchen essentials, including 2 million dishwashers annually. “Every 15 seconds, per line, I’ve got a dishwasher coming off the line,” said Bill Good, the plant’s vice president.
In May, nearly 150 workers, mostly Cuban immigrants, were laid off after the Trump administration abruptly revoked their legal immigration status. These workers had been temporarily protected under the Biden-era CHNV parole program, which covered roughly 532,000 Cubans, Nicaraguans, Haitians, and Venezuelans. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem moved to terminate the program in March. While a lower court temporarily blocked the termination, the Supreme Court allowed the administration to proceed in May while the legal battle continues.
In June, the Department of Homeland Security began notifying CHNV recipients living in the U.S. that their permission to remain had been rescinded. Those without another lawful status, such as Temporary Protected Status, were required to leave the country.
Workers at the plant described the impact. “We’re still short people. We’re still training people every day on jobs,” said Nathaniel Schultz. Jaelin Carpenter added, “They put us on overtime from that point on to the beginning of the year.”
Asked if the laid-off immigrants were taking jobs from Americans, workers said no. “They applied like anybody else,” said Oliver Smith. Carpenter said they won’t be easy to replace, and Schultz added, “These people were one of the vertebrae in the backbone that is American manufacturing.”
GE Appliances reports about 200 immigrant employees still work on the lines. Many fear their Temporary Protected Status could be revoked, with some set to expire soon. “It’s just very hard to predict,” said Good.
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