United States – A coalition of Republican states has sued the Biden administration for trying to let up to 200,000 immigrants who came to the U. S. as minors obtain federally funded healthcare.
Fifteen states whose governor is supported by the office of Republican Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach say a rule adopted by the U. S. HHS in May infringes a federal law that bars the provision of public benefits to individuals who are not legally allowed to reside in the United States, as reported by Reuters.
The rule means that persons in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, created in 2012, are deemed “legally present” in the US and, therefore, eligible for basic healthcare programs developed under Obamacare in 2010.
Kansas and the other states, in their lawsuit, argued that since enrollment in DACA requires that one is not legally in the United States, then one cannot be legally present in the country.
They argued that the rule erroneously prescribes DACA beneficiaries to stay in the United States unlawfully, consequently making states disburse millions of dollars on public services for them and their children.
The White House and the Department of Health and Human Services could not be reached to provide their comments.
Republican Response and Political Implications
On Thursday, another Texas Republican, Governor Greg Abbott, signed an executive order in which he ordered state officials to start assessing the expenditure of the state in providing medical care to immigrants in the country without legal documents.
The DACA program provides deportation relief and work permits to “Dreamer” immigrants who were brought to the U. S. or overstayed a visa as children. As of now, there are about 530,000 students in the program as it is still under legal battle.
Healthcare Rule Criticism
HHS provides insurance and related financial assistance, like tax credits, and lowers out-of-pocket costs through a change under the Nov 1 rule for DACA enrollees.
Immigration has become one of the most preferred themes in any election, especially the upcoming November 5 presidential election between Democratic vice president Kamala Harris and Republican former President Donald Trump, as reported by Reuters.
The current president of the United States of America, Donald Trump, attempted to end DACA in his tenure but was blocked by the Supreme Court of the U. S. The Trump campaign in May criticized the healthcare rule likening it to being unfair and unsustainable.