President Joe Biden has announced that immigrants who entered the United States illegally as children will soon be entitled to Medicaid and Obamacare.
Biden made the announcement nearly 11 years after the Obama-Biden administration signed the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) into law.
This is giving illegal immigrants who were brought to the country as children — referred to as ‘Dreamers’ — the ability to work legally and to avoid deportation.
A Statement From the White House
In a White House statement published on April 13, Biden said more than 800,000 illegal immigrants had benefited from DACA since 2012. He said this before revealing they would soon also be entitled to receive the benefits of state healthcare.
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
He also noted that the change would make illegal immigrants eligible for the programs by the end of April.
More From Biden
In the statement, Biden also reaffirmed his support for Dreamers to be given a pathway to citizenship. While Biden called on Congress to create a pathway to citizenship in January 2021 following his inauguration, Congress has not yet passed such an act.
In a video published on social media, Biden called Dreamers “American in every way except on paper” and said he would continue to work to give them a pathway to citizenship.
Under Joe Biden, Americans are suffering from the worst border crisis in our history.
I’ve introduced legislation to close the loopholes in our laws and defund sanctuary cities.
These bills will help end the incentives that are encouraging illegal immigration.
— Coach Tommy Tuberville (@SenTuberville) April 10, 2023
While Biden’s decision to make Dreamers eligible for Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act was praised by former President Barack Obama and others, the US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in October 2022 that DACA was unlawful.
Critics of DACA have repeatedly warned that the policy could encourage illegal immigration into the United States.
It could also incentivize families to take their children across the border, despite the dangers of illegal border crossings, which claimed the lives of at least 856 migrants in 2022 — the deadliest year on record.
Biden continues making the choice to ignore these warnings.
This article appeared in RightWingHeadlines and has been published here with permission.
