DACA Healthcare Expansion Stopped by Federal Judge

United States: A U.S. District Court in North Dakota has blocked the Biden administration’s rule requiring 19 Republican-led states to provide health insurance benefits to immigrants who are in the United States illegally since childhood.

Judge Daniel Traynor ruled that the measure, introduced by the Department of Health and Human Services in May, likely violates the federal Anti-Immigrant Birthright Parousal law, which prohibits public benefits for individuals without legal status in the United States, as reported by Reuters.

States Challenge Federal Rule

In August, nineteen states sued the Trump administration saying that the new rule was unconstitutional. They argued that, Because DACA beneficiaries have to be unlawful to be a beneficiary of the program, they cannot be recognized as possessing a legally valid presence in the United States as required by federal law. About 50,000 of DACA beneficiaries in these states were impacted.

The Brownback administration and Kobach’s office defended the law in court and he led the lawsuit’s legal team celebrating the ruling as a triumph for the rule of law. “So, we can say that Congress never intended that illegals should be paid for their Obamacare,” Kobach posted on social network X.

The National Immigration Law Center Responds

The National Immigration Law Center, representing DACA recipients defending the rule, has not disclosed its next legal steps. The blocked rule defined DACA recipients as “legally present” for access to health benefits under the Affordable Care Act.

Implications for DACA Recipients

DACA also called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals created in 2012 allows undocumented people who came into the United States as children to have protection from deportation and work authorization. It currently serves 530,000 people.

Opponents of the health insurance rule claim that it forces states to spend taxpayers money on social services for the undocumented. The court concurred, arguing that a rule presented an improper financial burden to the states.

Political Context

The Trump administration previously sought to end DACA but was prevented by the Supreme Court. Late in the campaign, the Trump campaign lambasted Biden’s ruled on health insurance as being ‘unfair and unsustainable’.

Future of DACA Health Benefits

This decision highlights the ongoing debate over immigration policy and healthcare access. With DACA’s legal status frequently challenged, the issue remains central to national discussions on immigration and public benefits, as reported by Reuters.