Aug 27, 2019
The Trump administration has reportedly ended a program which allowed immigrants with serious illnesses to temporarily remain in the U.S., a move by the White House that rights advocates decried as "a death sentence" for children receiving treatment for cancer, HIV, and other life-threatening diseases.
Reporting from local NPR affiliate WBUR said the "medical deferred action" program permitted immigrants to stay in the U.S. for two-year periods if they could demonstrate "extreme medical need."
"Many of the people affected by the policy change came to the U.S. through a visa or other permitted status and are requesting to stay beyond those terms to receive medical treatment," WBUR reported Monday.
Immigrants living and receiving medical care in Massachusetts learned of the Trump administration's policy change when they received letters from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services earlier this month warning them they will be deported if they don't leave the country in 33 days.
According toCommonWealth Magazine, the immigrants facing deportation include children with "children with cancer, cystic fibrosis, HIV, and other illnesses."
\u201cUSCIS recently made changes stripping certain immigrants getting medical treatment of deferred action. Here\u2019s what the notice going out to these immigrants says:\u201d— Steph Solis (@Steph Solis) 1566835555
Ronnie Millar, executive director of the Irish International Immigrant Center, which represents immigrants affected by the change, called the Trump administration's move "inhumane and unjust" in an interview with CommonWealth Magazine.
During a press conference on Monday, Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) blasted the Trump administration's "inhumanity" and characterized the change in policy as an effort to "terrorize sick kids with cancer who are literally fighting for their lives."
"This is a new low for Trump," said Markey. "The administration is now literally deporting kids with cancer."
\u201cA powerful call to action from @SenMarkey to ALL Americans to fight to save the critically ill patients whom this administration wants to deport to their deaths. Not now, not ever!\u201d— MIRA Coalition (@MIRA Coalition) 1566836841
The ACLU of Massachusetts vowed to take legal action to stop the Trump administration's latest attack on immigrants.
"We will take this fight to the courts," said Carol Rose, executive director of ACLU Massachusetts. "Lawyers are analyzing options right now."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
The Trump administration has reportedly ended a program which allowed immigrants with serious illnesses to temporarily remain in the U.S., a move by the White House that rights advocates decried as "a death sentence" for children receiving treatment for cancer, HIV, and other life-threatening diseases.
Reporting from local NPR affiliate WBUR said the "medical deferred action" program permitted immigrants to stay in the U.S. for two-year periods if they could demonstrate "extreme medical need."
"Many of the people affected by the policy change came to the U.S. through a visa or other permitted status and are requesting to stay beyond those terms to receive medical treatment," WBUR reported Monday.
Immigrants living and receiving medical care in Massachusetts learned of the Trump administration's policy change when they received letters from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services earlier this month warning them they will be deported if they don't leave the country in 33 days.
According toCommonWealth Magazine, the immigrants facing deportation include children with "children with cancer, cystic fibrosis, HIV, and other illnesses."
\u201cUSCIS recently made changes stripping certain immigrants getting medical treatment of deferred action. Here\u2019s what the notice going out to these immigrants says:\u201d— Steph Solis (@Steph Solis) 1566835555
Ronnie Millar, executive director of the Irish International Immigrant Center, which represents immigrants affected by the change, called the Trump administration's move "inhumane and unjust" in an interview with CommonWealth Magazine.
During a press conference on Monday, Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) blasted the Trump administration's "inhumanity" and characterized the change in policy as an effort to "terrorize sick kids with cancer who are literally fighting for their lives."
"This is a new low for Trump," said Markey. "The administration is now literally deporting kids with cancer."
\u201cA powerful call to action from @SenMarkey to ALL Americans to fight to save the critically ill patients whom this administration wants to deport to their deaths. Not now, not ever!\u201d— MIRA Coalition (@MIRA Coalition) 1566836841
The ACLU of Massachusetts vowed to take legal action to stop the Trump administration's latest attack on immigrants.
"We will take this fight to the courts," said Carol Rose, executive director of ACLU Massachusetts. "Lawyers are analyzing options right now."
The Trump administration has reportedly ended a program which allowed immigrants with serious illnesses to temporarily remain in the U.S., a move by the White House that rights advocates decried as "a death sentence" for children receiving treatment for cancer, HIV, and other life-threatening diseases.
Reporting from local NPR affiliate WBUR said the "medical deferred action" program permitted immigrants to stay in the U.S. for two-year periods if they could demonstrate "extreme medical need."
"Many of the people affected by the policy change came to the U.S. through a visa or other permitted status and are requesting to stay beyond those terms to receive medical treatment," WBUR reported Monday.
Immigrants living and receiving medical care in Massachusetts learned of the Trump administration's policy change when they received letters from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services earlier this month warning them they will be deported if they don't leave the country in 33 days.
According toCommonWealth Magazine, the immigrants facing deportation include children with "children with cancer, cystic fibrosis, HIV, and other illnesses."
\u201cUSCIS recently made changes stripping certain immigrants getting medical treatment of deferred action. Here\u2019s what the notice going out to these immigrants says:\u201d— Steph Solis (@Steph Solis) 1566835555
Ronnie Millar, executive director of the Irish International Immigrant Center, which represents immigrants affected by the change, called the Trump administration's move "inhumane and unjust" in an interview with CommonWealth Magazine.
During a press conference on Monday, Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) blasted the Trump administration's "inhumanity" and characterized the change in policy as an effort to "terrorize sick kids with cancer who are literally fighting for their lives."
"This is a new low for Trump," said Markey. "The administration is now literally deporting kids with cancer."
\u201cA powerful call to action from @SenMarkey to ALL Americans to fight to save the critically ill patients whom this administration wants to deport to their deaths. Not now, not ever!\u201d— MIRA Coalition (@MIRA Coalition) 1566836841
The ACLU of Massachusetts vowed to take legal action to stop the Trump administration's latest attack on immigrants.
"We will take this fight to the courts," said Carol Rose, executive director of ACLU Massachusetts. "Lawyers are analyzing options right now."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.