Last month, the Obama administration quietly announced that those benefitting from DACA would not also be able to benefit from the country's new healthcare system, taking effect in the coming years. Ordinarily, a grant of deferred action gives the grantee status as being "lawfully present" in the U.S., but the Obama administration stated explicitly that this would not be the case for those who receive deferred action under the DACA classification. To be eligible for healthcare coverage, one of the factors a person necessarily must show is lawful presence. The Obama administration described DACA as "an exercise of prosecutorial discretion," allowing law enforcement officers to focus on immigrants who pose a threat to national security or public safety and not as anything that was ever intended to confer healthcare coverage on those individuals. Thus, while Obama's move was at first lauded widely by pro-immigrant groups, he is now facing something of a backlash. Of course, those groups have no viable alternative to supporting the President. Perhaps he is aware of this and the statement about the lack of healthcare coverage was made to curry favor with those on the other side who claim that this healthcare law, which is truly the centerpiece of his Presidency to date, would benefit undocumented people. The news is not all bad for pro-immigrant groups, however; under the new healthcare system, coverage would still be available to lower income people with green cards or grants of asylum. Still, opponents of the administration's move here believe that the lack of coverage for DACA grantees puts two of the primary hallmarks of Mr. Obama's term - healthcare reform and action on immigration - at odds with one another. Do you agree with those people? Share your thoughts with us at editor@ilw.com and continue reading the full article here.




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