Approximately a half-million illegals who fall under the DACA program will be soon eligible for Medicaid benefits and the Affordable Care Act, The Associated Press, citing administration officials, reported late last week. DACA shields about 508,000 illegals from deportation, the story said, but they did not meet a legal definition in ObamaCare for having a “lawful presence” in the U.S. to qualify for government-subsidized health insurance.
Ira Mehlman, of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, or FAIR, says the issue of illegal aliens benefitting from ObamaCare was discussed “extensively” during vigorous debate over the already-controversial health insurance program.
“And it was determined very explicitly,” he recalls, “that they were not going to be eligible.”
Now, more than a decade later, the Biden administration is literally writing a new rule to override that language in the federal law.
“Even if you have DACA status, you're still an illegal alien,” he points out. “All that it is says is the government isn't going to make an effort to remove you this point.”
Mehlman predicts lawsuits will be filed to stop the Biden administration for enacting the new rule.
