(ReclaimingAmerica.net) – President Joe Biden has decided to extend federal health coverage to more than half a million migrants who came to the US illegally but were allowed to remain under the Obama-era DACA program.
You watch a video of Biden making the announcement further down this post.
The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) immigration program allows illegal aliens brought to America as children but their deportation is deferred every two years.
Adopted in 2012 under the Obama administration, the program provides options for legal work and paying taxes.
The DACA program participants are called “Dreamers,” as per the draft DREAM Act bill, which would allow them to become permanent residents if adopted.
A fact sheet published by Biden’s White House stated that more than 500,000 “Dreamers” would now become eligible for federal healthcare coverage through Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, i.e., Obamacare.
To achieve that, Biden’s Health Department is expected to propose a rule by the end of April which will change the definition of “lawful presence” to include the DACA migrants.
“President Biden and Vice President Harris believe that health care should be a right, not a privilege. Together, they promised to protect and strengthen the ACA and Medicaid, lowering costs and expanding coverage so that every American has the peace of mind that health insurance brings,” the fact sheet states.
According to US Citizenship and Immigration Services, there are 580,000 Dreamers in the DACA program.
As per the new policy, DACA recipients will use state Medicaid agencies or the Health Insurance Marketplace, where they may qualify for financial assistance based on income, The National Review reported.
“Today, my Administration is announcing our plan to expand health coverage for Dreamers, the thousands of young people brought to the US as kids,” Biden declared in a video posted on Twitter.
“We’re not done fighting for their pathway to citizenship, but we’re getting them the opportunities they deserve in the meantime,” he added.
Republican US Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, who sits on the Senate Homeland Security Committee, criticized the president’s announcement.
“Nearly $32 trillion in debt, with deficits growing larger and no end in sight. President Biden is living in a fantasy land where he’s oblivious to the harm that inflation caused by his policies is inflicting on hardworking Americans,” Johnson told the NYP.
“Rewarding illegal immigration will bring more illegal immigration. This is an insult to American citizenship,” reacted Republican US Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas.
According to Customs and Border Protection data, more than 150,000 unaccompanied minors arrived in the US in 2022 alone.
However, in 2021, a federal judge blocked DACA from adding new participants, and several GOP-led groups sued to stop DACA, arguing it circumvented the US Congress.
Here is Biden’s announcement:
Today, my Administration is announcing our plan to expand health coverage for Dreamers, the thousands of young people brought to the U.S. as kids.
We’re not done fighting for their pathway to citizenship, but we're getting them the opportunities they deserve in the meantime. pic.twitter.com/4eqNMMNxtt
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 13, 2023
What is your opinion about what Biden is doing by extending health care to 500,000 more illegal aliens? Email [email protected] and share your reaction. Thank you.
