California Attorney General recently issued the following announcement on Nov. 13.
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum led a coalition of 22 attorneys general in support of Doe, et al. v. Trump, et al., a lawsuit filed to challenge the Trump Administration’s Health Insurance Proclamation to bar entry for immigrants who do not possess certain health coverage or the ability to pay for medical care. In an amicus brief, the coalition asserts the Proclamation is an unlawful attempt to impose immigration restrictions that contradict laws passed by Congress, including the Affordable Care Act. Under this new requirement, a significant number of applicants who would normally qualify for immigration status would no longer be eligible. Further, the coalition argues that adding this requirement would result in the separation of immigrant families.
“The Trump Administration is attempting to bypass the Constitution in another attempt to limit immigration and separate families,” said Attorney General Becerra. “Hard-working immigrant families are significant contributors to California’s economy, which is now the fifth largest in the world. Implementing this wrong-headed proclamation would cause irreparable harm to California’s communities, our healthcare market, and vulnerable immigrant families across our state and throughout the country.”
In the brief, the coalition argues that the proclamation violates Congress’ public charge statutes by adding an entry condition that Congress did not choose to include. The coalition also argues that this condition would conflict with Congress’ visa statutes dedicated to family reunification and workforce development. Additionally, it would conflict with the Diversity Visa laws established by Congress for immigrants from countries with low numbers of immigrants to the United States. The proclamation would affect immigration applications for immigrants who are typically eligible for visas.
Attorney General Becerra is dedicated to defending the rights of hard-working immigrants. On October 11, 2019, Attorney General Becerra led four attorneys general in securing a preliminary injunction that blocks the Trump Administration’s public charge rule. This rule was an attempt to discourage eligible immigrants and their families from accessing critical health, nutrition and housing programs. Earlier this year, Attorney General Becerra opposed the Trump Administration’s illegal attempt to limit access to the asylum process.
In filing the amicus brief, Attorney General Becerra and Attorney General Rosenblum are leading a coalition including the attorneys general of Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and the District of Columbia. New York City also joined the amicus brief.
Original source can be found here.