2024-05-03 10:45:00
(CNN) — Hundreds of thousands of recipients of the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program will be eligible for affordable health care this year after the completion of a regulation, the Biden administration announced this Friday.
The new federal regulation would expand access to health insurance for recipients of the DACA program — which allows undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children to live and work legally in the country — by changing the definition of “lawfully present” to enroll in certain health programs.
“Dreamers now receive the same treatment as other immigrants,” Xavier Becerra, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, told reporters before the announcement.
“We are committed to making health coverage available to all Americans, including DACA recipients, the ‘Dreamers,’ who have worked hard to live the American Dream. Today, we are taking an important step toward achieving that goal,” he added.
It is Biden’s latest effort to strengthen the DACA program, while the push for comprehensive immigration reform has stalled in Congress. The rule comes into force on 1 November.
The announcement also comes as Biden’s campaign tries to make inroads with Latino voters on a key issue: immigration. Biden is seeking to appeal to Latinos as his predecessor has tried to gain ground in a community that has long been important to the Democratic coalition. In past elections, DACA recipients have helped mobilize Democratic voters, canvassing Latino communities across the country.
There are more than 530,000 active DACA recipients as of December 31, 2023, according to federal data. Of those, around 429,000 are Mexican. DACA recipients often come from mixed-status households, including U.S. citizens, legal permanent residents, or undocumented family members.
HHS estimates that 100,000 DACA recipients who are currently uninsured are likely to take advantage of the new rule and sign up for health coverage through the Affordable Care Act’s Health Insurance Marketplace or through a basic health program, according to a fact sheet from the department.
This number is not the total number of eligible recipients, but rather the department’s estimate of how many people they believe will benefit from the change, senior administration officials explained. Many DACA recipients are already entitled to health care through their employers.
The issue of access to citizenship for DACA recipients
Immigration has been a frequent point of political conflict between the White House and Republicans, who have criticized the administration’s handling of border security and repeatedly challenged in court the administration’s move to strengthen DACA and expand other programs that grant immigrants temporary legal status.
Last year, some Republican lawmakers urged the Biden administration not to extend taxpayer programs to DACA recipients.
The rule, originally proposed last year, does little to change the death toll in Congress, where the latest round of talks on immigration reform did not address Dreamers. Congress has tried and failed for years to pass legislation that would provide a path to citizenship for “Dreamers,” or otherwise address problems with the broader immigration system.
“The president will continue to fight for Dreamers, but only Congress can grant them permanent status and a path to citizenship. Congress must act to ensure that Dreamers can stay here permanently,” he told the director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, Neera Tanden .
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