Over 100 congress representatives and senators have publicly condemned the Trump Administration's efforts to end an Obama era policy that protected young, ill migrants from deportation. This came as a shock to many in congress as the policy helped protect and save the children and their families from failing medical systems back home. The life-saving medical treatment these children receive in the United States is one of the essential reasons why migrant families entered the United States in the first place.
Democratic lawmakers from both the house of representatives and the senate
urged the Department of Homeland Security to protect children and their
families from being senate back home. In a letter
directed to top officials at the Department of Homeland Security, lawmakers
pleaded with officials to
continue the Obama-era policy. The policy in reference was a U.S. Citizenship
and Immigration
Services program that would allow deferred medical action for life-threatening
health conditions. The
decision to end the program "will needlessly endanger vulnerable
children and families nationwide
seeking medical deferments for individuals receiving life-saving treatment
for serious illnesses," the
lawmakers wrote.
The letter asks officials and top leadership at the Department of Homeland
Security to explain the
decision and the motives behind such a move that could endanger hundreds
of children. Ending this
program could result in children being sent back to countries that don't
have the tools, doctors, or
adequate medical treatments. Most of these migrants come from poor backgrounds
and have little to
no funds to relocate their families. The original draft of the letter
was led by Representatives Ayanna
Pressley and Mark DeSaulnier of Massachusetts; Zoe Lofgren, Judy Chu and
Lou Correa of
California; and Massachusetts Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren.
Earlier this month, immigration attorneys and their clients who applied
for deferred medical action or
a renewal of it began receiving rejection letters in which USCIS said:
"it was no longer considering
requests for the program." The letters also said, "immigrants
not authorized to remain in the country
should leave within about a month or face deportation."
In their letter, Democrats criticized the decision and the duties the Department
of Homeland Security
has for deferred action petitions. "Requiring that prospective applicants
request this humanitarian
relief by applying to an immigration enforcement agency that detains and
sports hundreds of
thousands of immigrants annually, will deter many vulnerable children
and families from coming
forward and seeking life-saving protection," the lawmakers wrote.
The best way to assert your rights as an undocumented immigrant in Connecticut
is by retaining the
help of an attorney with a thorough understanding of immigration law at
the Law Offices of James A.
Welcome. We know your rights and can provide you with effective legal
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not been treated with the protection you deserve. We know what is on the
line and can help you
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Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/medical-deferred-action