Topline
The Biden Administration wants to give recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program access to federal health care plans, the White House announced Thursday, as it seeks to expand federal benefits for immigrants while contesting Republican efforts to dismantle the program, which protects people brought to the U.S. as children from deportation.
President Joe Biden speaks at Ulster University in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Wednesday, April 12, … [+]
Key Facts
The Biden Administration said the Department of Health and Human Services will unveil a new rule on Thursday that will expand the definition of who is “lawfully present” in the U.S. to include DACA recipients, allowing them to obtain health care under Medicaid or the Affordable Care Act.
The new rule would potentially allow the 580,000 immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as minors and are enrolled in DACA to obtain health care coverage.
Crucial Quote
“It’s past time for Congress to give Dreamers a pathway to citizenship, and while we work toward that goal . . . we need to give Dreamers the opportunities and support they deserve,” Biden said Thursday. “Health care should be a right not a privilege.”
Key Background
The Obama-era DACA program, established in 2012, allows people who entered the United States without authorization as children to stay in the country legally under a special temporary status that is up for renewal every two years. Biden has sought to expand access to federal programs for immigrants throughout his time in office, a reversal from former President Donald Trump, who unsuccessfully tried to dismantle DACA. Hundreds of thousands of immigrants who cannot safely return to their home countries have become eligible for temporary protected status during Biden’s tenure, and some Trump-era border policies have been rolled back, though Biden is seeking to tighten asylum rules as border crossings surge. Biden has also repeatedly called on Congress to pass legislation to give DACA recipients a permanent path to citizenship, but it has failed to gain traction with GOP lawmakers.
What To Watch For
Possible Republican pushback to the new rule. GOP lawmakers opposed extending eligibility requirements for the Affordable Care Act to immigrants without legal status when the legislation was passed in 2010. While protecting DACA recipients has bipartisan support in Congress, nine Republican-led states are seeking to dismantle it in Texas federal court. The federal government has been blocked from approving new applicants to the program since 2021, when a judge ruled in favor of the GOP-led states.
What We Don’t Know
When the proposed rule will take effect. The Biden Administration said Thursday it expects to implement the new policy by the end of the month, however new rules are often subject to a lengthy approval process, including a public comment period, the Washington Post noted.
Further Reading
Biden Administration Pushes To Formalize DACA—Here’s Why (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2023/04/13/biden-wants-to-give-daca-recipients-access-to-federal-health-care-as-gop-states-seek-to-end-program/