Biden revokes Trump order on immigrants' health care costs

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President Joe Biden on Friday shot down a Trump proclamation that blocked potential immigrants deemed to be a “financial burden” on the nation’s health care system from coming to the United States, saying it didn’t align with U.S. interests.

 

“My Administration is committed to expanding access to quality, affordable healthcare,” Biden said in a statement. “We can achieve that objective, however, without barring the entry of noncitizens who seek to immigrate lawfully to this country but who lack significant financial means or have not purchased health insurance coverage from a restrictive list of qualifying plans.”

 

The 2019 proclamation had required immigrants to prove they would get qualifying health insurance within 30 days of coming to America or have the resources to cover medical costs. Former President Donald Trump's White House had said the proclamation was aimed at "protecting health care benefits for American citizens."

 

"People who come here shouldn’t immediately be on public assistance," a senior Trump administration told POLITICO at the time. "We should bring people here who contribute and not drain resources."

 

Biden has sought to reverse much of former Trump’s immigration policy, calling for a “fair and humane” system.

 

The proclamation Biden revoked Friday wasn’t the only Trump-era rule based on immigrants’ financial means. The administration's "public charge" rule allowed the government to hold back green cards from legal immigrants who received public benefits like Medicaid or food stamps or who were deemed likely to do so.

In March, the Biden administration said it would no longer defend the rule, which was facing legal challenges.

 

“Doing so is neither in the public interest nor an efficient use of limited government resources,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.

The Biden administration also recently ended a Trump policy that had prevented undocumented college students from getting federal pandemic relief grants for items like food and housing.

 

Biden met with six DACA recipients in the Oval Office on Friday. The Biden administration has called for a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented people and so-called Dreamers. When Biden took office, he almost immediately signed an executive order ending Trump’s so-called Muslim ban that barred travel from several Muslim-majority countries.

 

Biden has faced intense criticism from conservatives on his handling of a surge in migrants, including many unaccompanied children, at the nation’s southern border. The number of unaccompanied children in custody has fallen sharply as of late.

 

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