The Biden Administration unveiled plans to give out Obamacare to tens of thousands of illegal immigrants who entered the United States as minors as part of the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
Under the initiative, more than 100,000 illegal immigrants will be granted free healthcare under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. The so-called “Dreamers” will be able to enroll in the program’s health care system beginning next year.
Previously, illegal aliens have been barred from taking advantage of Obamacare. However, a new rule published by the Biden Administration will change that, which the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) calls "technical modifications" to the definition of "lawfully present” that will determine who is eligible.
Illegal aliens will be able to receive federal subsidies based on their level of income, which can qualify them for receiving free medical coverage.
On November 1, eligible participants will be able to access tax breaks— just days before the presidential election.
“'I'm proud of the contributions of Dreamers to our country and committed to providing Dreamers the support they need to succeed,” Biden said on Friday. “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.”
The Trump campaign criticized the move, calling it harmful to “Black Americans, Hispanic Americans, and union workers” whose “jobs and public resources are stolen by people who illegally entered our country.”
“Thanks to Bidenomics, inflation continues to increase, job growth is slowing down, unemployment is at the highest level in two years, and more foreign-born workers are joining the labor force than native-born citizens. Yet Joe Biden continues to force hardworking, tax-paying, struggling Americans to pay for the housing, welfare, and now the healthcare of illegal immigrants,” Karoline Leavitt, Trump campaign press secretary.
Vice President Kamala Harris also urged Congress to take action in making the rule a permanent change.
DACA was introduced during the Obama-Biden Administration to protect illegal immigrants who were brought to the U.S. by their parents as minors from deportations and to allow them to work legally in the U.S.
When Obamacare was initially introduced, former President Obama faced heat from Republican lawmakers who accused him of using it as a way to give illegal immigrants free healthcare.