“Medical Deferred Action” is Halted Without Formal Warning or Announcement
New York, NY–With little warning and no formal announcement, the Trump Administration has ended a program known as “medical deferred action.” Under this program, people were able to remain in the U.S. for two-year periods if they could prove extreme medical need.
Now, patients seeking renewal in the program and others trying to gain access to it will be denied and can be threatened with deportation, including children with leukemia, muscular dystrophy, or cystic fibrosis according to reporting by WBUR.
Steve Choi, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition, issued the following statement:
"In yet one more in a long line of cruel and callous moves, the Trump Administration is effectively ending a life-saving program for immigrant New Yorkers. The end of "medical deferred action" means that families will lose a lifeline to health coverage and potentially leave the US without any guarantees that they can receive the care they or their loved ones need. In New York State, we look to our elected leaders to protect the health care rights of all state residents, regardless of immigration status and regardless of the Trump Administration’s disregard for human life. Meanwhile, we have filed a Freedom of Information Act request to obtain this new policy, which has not been made public but has been cited in denials by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services. Every New Yorker must continue to fight for the return of compassion in our immigration system. Without it, we lose the humanity that has defined us as Americans for generations."