A federal judge in Portland, Oregon, on Saturday
suspended a rule from President Donald Trump's administration that required
immigrants to prove they will be able to have health insurance or pay for
health care before they can get visas.
Federal District Judge Michael Simon issued a preliminary
order preventing the rule from going into effect on Sunday. It is not known
when the merits of the case will fail
Seven U.S. citizens and one NGO on Wednesday filed a
federal lawsuit on the grounds that the measure would rule out nearly
two-thirds of potential legal immigrants.
The complaint also noted that the rule would also greatly
reduce or eliminate the number of immigrants entering the United States on
family-sponsored visas.
"We
are very grateful that the court recognized the need to immediately block the
health care rule", said Justice Action Center senior attorney Esther Sung,
who presented arguments at Saturday's hearing on behalf of the plaintiffs.
"The measure would separate families and reduce two-thirds of green
card-based migration starting tonight, should the ban not be suspended".
President Donald Trump's decree in early October applies
to people who aspire to migrant visas from abroad and not to those already
within the United States. It does not affect legal permanent residents, as well
as asylum seekers, refugees or minors.
The proclamation states that immigrants will be barred
from entering the country unless they obtain health coverage within 30 days of
their entry or have sufficient financial resources to cover any medical costs.
The rule is just the Trump administration's latest
attempt to limit access to public programs as it tries to move the country away
from a family-based immigration system and turn it into one based on merit.
At the
time of the proclamation, the White House said in a statement that the measure
was taken because too many foreigners took advantage of the country's
"generous public health programs", and immigrants contribute to the
problem of "uncompensated health costs".
Under the government's visa rule, you can purchase
insurance required individually or obtain it from an employer, and it can be
short-term coverage or "catastrophic" coverage.
The Medicaid plan does not count, and an immigrant cannot
obtain a visa if he or she uses Patient Protection and Affordable Care grants
to purchase insurance. The federal government pays those subsidies.
According to the Migration Policy Institute, a separatist
migration group, 57% of immigrants in the United States had private health
insurance in 2017, compared to 69% of those born in the United States, and 30%
had public health coverage, compared to 36% of those born in the country.
The rate of uninsured immigrants fell from 32% to 20%
between 2013 and 2017, since the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was
implemented, according to the group.
About 1.1 million people get green cards every year.
"Countless thousands of people across the country
can breathe with relief this day because the court recognized the urgency and
irreparable damage that would have been caused without suspension", said
Jesse Bless, director of federal litigation for the American Immigration
Lawyers Association.
Months ago, the government made radical changes
to measures that would have denied green cards to immigrants using certain
forms of public assistance, a move that has also been blocked by the courts.
SOURCE: El Nuevo Herald
