The Biden Administration had planned to give recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program access to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), often referred to as Obamacare. These recipients are young adult immigrants who came to the United States as children to request protection from deportation and work authorization. The program essentially delays removal action against them for a set time.
As Texas Public Radio’s Marian Navarro reports, Texas became one of the 19 states that sued the administration over recent federal guidance that allowed DACA recipients to apply for health care coverage through HealthCare.gov and the state-based marketplace.
On Monday, North Dakota U.S. District Judge Daniel M. Traynor issued a temporary injunction, ruling the federal government does not have authority to circumvent congressional authority. The White House says the rule was projected to help more than 162,000 Dreamers gain health insurance.
There are as many as 87,620 Texas residents with DACA status, the second highest in the U.S. Regionally, Arkansas also joined the suit, with its 3,680 DACA recipients. That’s according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and court documents. The Health Insurance Marketplace says it's reviewing the court's ruling and will issue more information later.
