Immigration attorneys and health officials on Sunday said they still fear that a Trump administration order placing health insurance requirements on would-be immigrants will stymie family-based immigration and sow confusion and fear in immigrant communities despite a federal judge blocking the rule.
U.S. District Judge Michael Simon in Portland, Ore., issued a temporary restraining order Saturday, the day before the policy was set to go into effect. But immigration attorneys and health officials said the move does not alleviate uncertainty among existing and would-be immigrants.
President Trump’s October proclamation required that prospective immigrants demonstrate they could obtain health insurance within 30 days of arriving in the United States — a demand that immigration and health experts said would be particularly onerous for low-income immigrants who may not already have lined up jobs with health insurance or may be unable to pay for “reasonably foreseeable medical costs,” as the rule states. Experts warned that the policy would favor the wealthy and prevent many U.S. citizens from bringing family members into the country.
View the complete November 3 article by Yasmeen Abutaleb, Jeff Stein and Kayla Epstein on The Washington Post website here.