WASHINGTON – President Biden’s administration on Friday formally announced a new policy opening up the Obamacare health insurance exchanges to people who entered the United States illegally as children with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status.
The changes, which have been on hold since last year and are expected to ease access to insurance and federal aid for about 100,000 uninsured DACA recipients, are expected to be announced before Biden’s Nov. 5 presidential election. Efforts to curb illegal immigration at record highs could soften the blow for immigration advocates. election.
“This landmark final rule makes DACA recipients eligible for the Affordable Care Act for the first time. This is expected to bring coverage to more than 100,000 DACA recipients. “There are,” government officials said at a press conference.
“By providing new opportunities for high-quality, affordable care, this rule will give DACA recipients the peace of mind and opportunity that all Americans deserve.”
The DACA program, created by then-President Barack Obama in 2012 after the DREAM Act failed to pass the Senate, gives eligible applicants access to deportation protection and work permits.
In 2017, President Donald Trump tried to repeal DACA, saying Congress should approve a similar program. The Supreme Court reversed his ruling in 2020.
As of last year, there were fewer than 600,000 DACA recipients, down from a peak of more than 700,000.
Immigration is one of the biggest responsibilities for the 81-year-old Biden in his anticipated rematch with Trump. Trump has vowed to launch a massive deportation campaign in response to unprecedented illegal immigration under the Biden administration.
Under the Biden administration, most people who cross the Mexican border illegally are allowed into the United States to apply for asylum, a move Republicans say is encouraging others to follow suit. are doing.
Immediately after taking office, Biden halted construction of President Trump’s wall on the U.S.-Mexico border and ended the “Remain in Mexico” policy, which required asylum seekers to await sentencing on claims of persecution south of the border.
The expansion of DACA benefits comes amid reports that Biden may be trying to signal a tougher approach to the border, with polls showing the issue a major electoral liability. It was held in
In an Associated Press poll last month, 56% of respondents said Biden had made “immigration and border security” worse.
Biden claimed in January that if Republicans agreed to pass reforms, he would “close the border until we can get it back under control,” but conservatives argue that Biden already has that authority and that he now has the authority to do so. Conservatives expressed reluctance when it was reported that the government was considering using the
In fiscal year 2023, which ended Sept. 30, 2.5 million illegal immigrants were apprehended after crossing the southern border, a record high, and December set a monthly record of nearly 302,000.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in January that more than 85% of people detained for crossing the border illegally were being released into the United States.
