Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Following Public Outrage, DHS Resumes Program To Allow Sick Immigrants To Stay In U.S. To Get Care
Politico: DHS Walks Back Decision To Halt Medical Deportation Relief
Acting Homeland Security Department Secretary Kevin McAleenan has directed federal immigration officials to resume processing deportation relief requests for people receiving treatment for serious medical conditions. The decision reverses an earlier move by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to put a freeze on the requests, known as “deferred action.” The earlier decision made an exception for military members and their families, but sought to deny relief to other applicants. (Hesson, 9/19)
The Wall Street Journal: Trump Administration Resumes Deportation Relief For Immigrants With Serious Illnesses
The program permits migrants to defer deportation for up to two years at a time. Most people covered by the program came to the U.S. legally on a visa or other legal status and have requested to stay longer. The government said it receives about 1,000 such requests a year. The government didn’t formally announce its initial decision to end the program for several weeks until several immigrants receiving medical attention were unexpectedly denied requests to remain in the country and told they needed to leave within 33 days. (Hackman, 9/19)
The New York Times: Deportation Exemptions To Resume For Immigrants Needing Medical Treatment
The unannounced termination last month of much of the so-called deferred action program generated public outrage and drew sharp rebuke from the medical establishment. Among those ordered to leave the country in 33 days or face deportation was Maria Isabel Bueso, who had been involved in clinical trials that led to the approval of a drug to extend the lives of those with her rare genetic disease. Last week, Ms. Bueso and other young immigrants with serious illnesses told a House Oversight subcommittee that their survival depended on staying in the country, and pleaded for reinstatement of the program. (Jordan, 9/19)
CBS News: Medical Deferred Action: Trump Administration Reinstates Deportation Relief For Sick Immigrants After Massive Uproar
The outcry over the decision started after attorneys representing children and families undergoing life-saving medical care in the U.S. began receiving denial notices from USCIS that said the agency was no longer considering applications for non-military deferred action. Immigrants like 16-year-old Jonathan Sanchez, who is receiving treatment for cystic fibrosis in Boston, had portrayed the decision as a death sentence. "In my perspective, it's making legal homicide," he told CBS News in August. (Montoya-Galvez, 9/19)
CNN: Immigration Agency Will Re-Allow Requests For Medical Deferments To Avoid Deportation
The American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, which was among the groups that brought the suit, called Thursday's announcement "an encouraging development." "This is an encouraging development for the people and families whose lives were impacted by the Trump administration's abrupt termination of medical deferred action," said legal director Matt Segal. "We are hopeful that the government will work to restore this vital humanitarian program and look forward to hearing from the government directly in connection with our lawsuit on the (Irish International Immigrant Center's) behalf." (Alvarez, 9/19)
WBUR: After A Month Of Public Outcry, Immigration Officials Resume Medical Deferrals For Deportation
Massachusetts Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley has been particularly outspoken about the lack of transparency and had initiated the subpoena process earlier this week. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, scheduled a second hearing for Thursday, Sept. 26. Officials from Pressley's office say both the subpoena and the hearing are still on the table. (Dooling, 9/19)
In other immigration news —
The Baltimore Sun: Johns Hopkins Not Renewing Contract Under Which Medical School Has Trained ICE Agents For Emergencies
The Johns Hopkins University is ending one of its contracts with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, announcing Thursday that the medical school has severed an agreement to train federal immigration agents in responding to emergency medical situations. In a statement, university spokeswoman Kim Hoppe wrote that the medical school notified ICE’s Office of Investigations several weeks ago that it would not be renewing the contract, which has trained ICE’s Special Response Teams in medical training since 2004. (Richman and Davis, 9/19)
Los Angeles Times: Border Patrol To Begin Screening Migrant Families
Border Patrol agents, rather than highly trained asylum officers, are beginning to screen migrant families for “credible fear” to determine whether applicants qualify for U.S. protection, the Los Angeles Times has learned. The first Border Patrol agents arrived last week to start training at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, the nation’s largest immigrant family detention center, according to lawyers working there and several employees at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. (O'Toole, 9/19)
