Republican state attorneys general sue Biden and Harris administration for providing free health insurance to DACA recipients.
A group of Republican attorneys general is taking action to prevent the Biden-Harris administration from providing free healthcare to undocumented immigrants. President Biden’s administration is pushing to give DACA recipients access to Obamacare, even though they are not U.S. citizens. Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, who is leading the lawsuit, claims that the administration is unlawfully categorizing DACA recipients as “lawfully present” in the U.S. to extend coverage to them.
DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, is a policy that shields undocumented immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children from deportation.
Kobach argues that the idea of defining DACA recipients as lawfully present is absurd.
President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are now facing a legal challenge to their initiative aimed at providing free healthcare coverage to DACA beneficiaries.
Kobach emphasized, “You must have entered the U.S. illegally to be eligible for DACA status. The 2012 memo establishing DACA explicitly states that it ‘confers no substantive right, immigration status, or pathway to citizenship. Only Congress, through its legislative authority, can grant these rights.’ And at least two federal courts have ruled DACA itself as illegal.”
In an opinion piece for the Wall Street Journal, Kobach further explained his position, “The new rule from Biden and Harris will exacerbate the border crisis. Once news spreads to the home countries of potential undocumented immigrants that healthcare is subsidized by U.S. taxpayers, it could incentivize more individuals to make the journey. Rewarding illegal behavior typically leads to a surge in such activities.”
Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach has been actively challenging various policies implemented by the Biden administration. Earlier this year, Kobach filed a lawsuit against the administration regarding a student loan forgiveness program. Biden has long been trying to find a legal avenue to unilaterally forgive student debt but has not achieved success thus far.
The Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) initiative, introduced by the administration last year, aimed to assist millions of borrowers enrolled in federal student loan programs by reducing their monthly payments and offering a path to debt forgiveness.
While the lower payments were scheduled to start on July 1 for approximately eight million borrowers participating in the SAVE program, legal obstacles have impeded the administration’s plans.
Throughout his presidency, many of Biden’s executive actions have been met with legal opposition from Republicans, resulting in delays and hurdles for his administration.
