President Biden Announces Health Care for DACA Recipients
resident yesterday said that his administration would expand health care coverage to recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) under Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act.
“They’re American in every way except on paper,” Mr. Biden said in a video posted to Twitter. “It’s past time for Congress to give Dreamers a pathway to citizenship.” He added that in the meantime, “we need to give Dreamers the opportunities and support they deserve.”
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
UPDATE (April 15): Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas released the following statement following President Biden’s announcement to expand health coverage for DACA recipients:
“We support President Biden’s efforts to expand health coverage to DACA recipients. The Department of Homeland Security is committed to doing everything in our power to preserve and fortify DACA. I am proud to have put the DACA program in place as Director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services in 2012. Over the past 11 years, DACA has provided over 800,000 young people with security in the only country many of them have ever known where they make significant contributions to their communities. We stand ready to work with Congress to provide permanent protection for Dreamers.”
KJ