CaliToday (24/9/2025):
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – At a sprawling GE Appliances factory in Louisville, Kentucky, 5,000 workers manufacture essential kitchen appliances, including two million dishwashers a year. "Every 15 seconds, on each of our lines, I have a dishwasher coming off the line," Bill Good, the plant's vice president, told CBS News.
But in May, the factory’s relentless pace was disrupted when nearly 150 of its workers, most of them Cuban immigrants, were abruptly fired after the Trump administration suddenly revoked their legal immigration status, leaving both the immigrants and the company in a desperate situation.
A Sudden Policy Shift with Devastating Consequences
The workers had been living and working legally in the U.S. under a Biden-era parole program known as CHNV, which had provided a temporary shield from deportation for approximately 532,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans. In March, however, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem moved to terminate the program.
After a lower court temporarily blocked the termination, the Supreme Court in May allowed the administration to proceed with its plan while the remainder of the legal battle plays out.
In June, the Department of Homeland Security began sending email notifications to parolees, informing them that their authorization to be in the United States had been revoked. Those who had not secured another form of legal status, such as Temporary Protected Status (TPS), were instructed to leave the country, stripping them of their ability to work legally overnight.
"Backbone of American Manufacturing"
The immediate impact on the GE Appliances factory was severe. The mass dismissal of nearly 150 trained employees created a significant labor shortage, forcing the remaining workforce to pick up the slack.
"We are still shorthanded. We are still training people every day," said Nathaniel Schultz, who works at the Louisville plant.
Jain Carpenter, another worker, told CBS News, "They put us on overtime from that point until the beginning of the year." The sudden pressure took a toll on everyone. "It just puts more strain on everybody," Schultz added.
When asked if they felt the immigrants were taking American jobs, Carpenter, Schultz, and another worker, Oliver Smith, all flatly said no.
"They applied just like everybody else," Smith said.
Carpenter added that replacing them would not be easy, a sentiment Schultz echoed powerfully.
"These people were a part of the backbone of American manufacturing," Schultz said.
A Climate of Fear for Those Who Remain
According to GE Appliances, approximately 200 immigrant employees are still working at the plant. Many of them now live in a constant state of anxiety, fearing that another policy change could render them illegal overnight.
The remaining immigrant workers, many of whom are protected under Temporary Protected Status (TPS), are now anxiously watching the calendar, as TPS designations for several nationalities are set to expire in the coming months. The uncertainty makes it impossible for them, and for the company that relies on them, to plan for the future.
"It's hard to predict," said plant VP Bill Good, summarizing the precarious situation that has left a critical American factory and its dedicated workforce in limbo.
