TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Azya Thornton on Dec 11, 2024

A U.S. judge in North Dakota has blocked the Biden administration from requiring 19 states — including Tennessee — provide health insurance coverage to undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children, known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients or "Dreamers." U.S. District Judge Daniel Traynor ruled that a May rule adopted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services likely violates federal law, which prohibits offering public benefits to individuals without legal immigration status, Reuters reports. Traynor's ruling blocks the rule from being enforced in the states that sued in August, pending the outcome of the case. The judge sided with the states, agreeing that the rule improperly encourages DACA recipients to remain in the U.S. illegally and forces states to spend millions of dollars on public services for them and their children. The National Immigration Law Center, which represents DACA recipients who intervened in the case to defend the rule, said it was considering its next steps.