NEW YORK, New York – Caribbean-American Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke and immigration advocates in New York on Saturday welcomed the Biden administration’s access to affordable, quality health care coverage to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients from the Caribbean and other places.
In 2012, former US President Barack Obama and then Vice President Biden created the DACA policy to transform the lives of eligible “Dreamers” – young Caribbean and other immigrants who came to the United States as children—allowing them to live and work lawfully in the US.
On Friday, Biden expanded the policy, allowing DACA recipients access to healthcare coverage through the Affordable Care Act.
Clarke, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, who represents the 9th Congressional District in Brooklyn, New York, told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) that “Dreamers have long represented an irreplaceable part of the great mosaic that is America.
“That is why I am proud to celebrate the announcement from the Biden-Harris Administration that will allow eligible DACA recipients greater access to federally-run health insurance,” she said. “Through the administration’s actions, nearly 100,000 previously uninsured participants in the DACA program will not only have the opportunity to access affordable, quality health insurance, but the peace of mind that comes with it.
“This new rule represents the next chapter in our fight to deliver to Dreamers the lives they deserve,” Clarke added. “But despite this significant progress, we cannot forget that we must continue to deliver a pathway to citizenship and permanent status.
“Alongside the tireless efforts of the administration and the support of immigrant families in communities nationwide, I am certain we will succeed,” the congresswoman continued.
According to the US Centers for Medicine and Medicaid Services, the new rule will result in an estimated 100,000 newly-eligible DACA recipients enrolled in the healthcare plan, which will take effect on November 1, 2024.
“Everyone deserves access to affordable healthcare, to ensure the well-being of all families who call America home,” Murad Awawdeh, president and chief executive officer of the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), an umbrella organization representing over 200 immigrant advocacy groups in New York, told CMC.
Awawdeh said Friday’s announcement “offers a lifeline to thousands of Dreamers, who are American in every way but who, until now, have been barred from accessing the lifesaving care they need to cultivate healthy lives.”
He, however, said that while this rule presents progress in advancing health equity for DACA recipients, “further efforts are necessary to protect their livelihoods as they remain targets of right-wing extremists in Washington.”
“As the DACA programme faces ongoing legal challenges, jeopardizing the futures of over 835,000 DACA recipients, the Biden administration must prioritize establishing a real pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients, providing them with the security and stability they deserve in the country they call home,” Awawdeh urged.
According to Becca Telzak, the deputy director of Make the Road New York, said her immigrant advocacy group applauds the efforts of the federal government to expand federal health care coverage to DACA recipients.
“This move, which follows in the footsteps of a hard-fought and successful campaign in New York to expand health care coverage to DACA recipients, will allow communities across the country to access affordable and quality healthcare coverage to see a doctor, receive preventative care, treatments and more, and allows DACA recipients in New York who weren’t already covered by insurance to access federal tax credits and subsidies,” she told CMC.
“While this is positive news for about 100, 000 DACA recipients and will help begin to address the effects that limited access to care has played in health disparities in our communities, there is still much more that can be done,” Telzak, however, added. “All New Yorkers, regardless of immigration status, should not have to choose between going to the doctor or putting food on the table for their family.
“Health care is a human right, and we look forward to continuing to work with the New York State Legislature and passing the Coverage for All legislation that will make sure working-class immigrant communities have access to health care coverage,” she continued.
Biden in a White House statement said, “over the last decade, DACA has brought stability, possibility, and progress to hundreds of thousands of Dreamers.”
He said Friday’s final rule will remove the prohibition on DACA recipients’ eligibility for Affordable Care Act coverage for the first time, and is projected to help more than 100,000 young people gain health insurance.
Starting in November, the US president said DACA recipients can apply for coverage through HealthCare.gov and state-based marketplaces, where they may qualify for financial assistance to help them purchase quality health insurance.
“Four out of five consumers have found a plan for less than US$10 a month, with millions saving an average of about US$800 a year on their premiums,” he said, stating that the final rule delivers on his commitment by giving DACA recipients “that same peace and opportunity.”
“Dreamers are our loved ones, our nurses, teachers, and small business owners,” Biden added. “And they deserve the promise of health care just like all of us.
“I’m proud of the contributions of Dreamers to our country and committed to providing Dreamers the support they need to succeed,” he continued. “That’s why I’ve previously directed the Department of Homeland Security to take all appropriate actions to ‘preserve and fortify’ DACA. And that’s why today we are taking this historic step to ensure that DACA recipients have the same access to health care through the Affordable Care Act as their neighbors.
“On day one of my administration, I sent a comprehensive immigration reform plan to Congress to protect Dreamers and their families,” Biden said. “Only Congress can provide Dreamers permanent status and a pathway to citizenship. Congress must act.”
US Vice President Kamala Harris, whose father is retired Jamaican economist Donald Harris, noted that “Dreamers throughout this country are serving in our military, teaching in our classrooms, and leading our small businesses as entrepreneurs.
“They are our neighbors, classmates and loved ones,” she said. “Our nation is fortunate that America is their home. Thanks to DACA, more than 800,000 Dreamers have been able to live, study, and work in the only home they have ever known, while making our nation a better place. It is why I fought to defend and protect DACA as Attorney General of California and a US senator from California.
“Now as vice president, I have worked alongside President Biden to take steps to preserve and fortify DACA,” Harris added. “Today, we are building on this progress by ensuring DACA recipients also have access to affordable health care, which will improve the health of all communities. This announcement will bring relief to more than 100,000 people and help them thrive while working to achieve their aspirations.
“President Biden and I will continue to do everything in our power to protect DACA, but it is only a temporary solution,” she continued. “Congress must act to ensure Dreamers have the permanent protections they deserve.”
