(CNN) — Hundreds of thousands of beneficiaries of the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program will be eligible for affordable health care coverage this year following the completion of a regulation, the Biden administration announced this Friday.
The new federal regulation will expand access to health insurance to beneficiaries of the DACA program — which allows undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children to live and work legally in the country — by modifying the definition of “lawfully present” to enroll in certain programs of healthcare.
“Dreamers now receive the same treatment as other immigrants,” Xavier Becerra, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, told reporters before the announcement.
“We are committed to making health coverage accessible to all Americans, including DACA recipients, ‘dreamers,’ who have worked hard to live the American dream. Today, we take an important step toward meeting that goal,” he added.
It is Biden’s latest effort to strengthen the DACA program, while the push for comprehensive immigration reform has stalled in Congress. The rule will go into effect on November 1.
The announcement also comes as Biden’s campaign attempts to make inroads with Latino voters on a key issue: immigration. Biden is seeking to appeal to Latinos as his predecessor has sought to gain ground in a community that has long been important to the Democratic coalition. In previous elections, DACA recipients have helped mobilize Democratic voters, canvassing Latino communities across the country.
There are more than 530,000 active DACA recipients as of December 31, 2023, according to federal data. Of them, about 429,000 are Mexican. DACA recipients often come from mixed-status households, including U.S. citizens, legal permanent residents, or undocumented family members.
HHS estimates that 100,000 DACA recipients who are currently uninsured will likely take advantage of the new rule and enroll in health coverage through the Affordable Care Act’s Health Insurance Marketplace or through a Basic Health Program, according to a department fact sheet.
This number is not the total number of eligible beneficiaries, but rather an estimate by the department of how many people they believe will take advantage of the change, senior administration officials explained. Many DACA recipients already have the right to health care through their employers.
The issue of access to citizenship for DACA recipients
Immigration has been a frequent point of political conflict between the White House and Republicans, who have criticized the administration’s handling of border security and repeatedly challenged in court the administration’s moves to strengthen DACA and expand other granting programs. immigrants temporary legal status.
Last year, some Republican lawmakers urged the Biden administration not to expand taxpayer programs to DACA recipients.
The rule, initially proposed last year, does little to change the stalemate in Congress, where the latest round of talks on immigration reform did not address Dreamers. Congress has tried and failed for years to pass legislation that would provide a path to citizenship for “Dreamers,” or otherwise address problems with the broader immigration system.
“The president will continue to fight for Dreamers, but only Congress can provide them with permanent status and a path to citizenship. Congress must act to ensure that Dreamers can remain here permanently,” Neera Tanden, the director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, told reporters.