| | IIIC's Director of Immigration Legal Services, Anthony Marino speaks with Rachel Maddow on MSNBC Tuesday evening, about medical deferred action and how it is impacting clients we serve. |
| Last week, families with pending medical deferred action applications began to receive notices that their requests had been denied with no consideration, and further, that they must leave the country within 33 days or face deportation.
Almost all of these cases involve those who have traveled to the U.S. and have fallen gravely ill. The illness or injury can make it impossible for an individual to leave, lest they stop life-saving treatment that is not available in their country. Here at the IIIC, many of the cases we represent are those of sick children. The Trump administration has given their parents an ultimatum: leave the U.S. and let your child suffer or even die, or stay in the U.S. and get deported.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) is now saying medical deferral decisions will be made by ICE; however, this has not been communicated to lawyers and clients with pending cases, and families continue to receive denial letters- with some delivered directly to patients at the hospital.
"This attack on children and their families is inhumane and unjust,” said Ronnie Millar, executive director of the IIIC. “These families are all here receiving treatment that is unavailable in their home countries, and our government has issued them a death sentence. Just when you think the administration can’t sink any lower, it finds a new way to torture people. The IIIC will continue to stand up for the basic human rights of immigrant children and families.”
The IIIC is exploring all options with the ACLU, AILA, and other partners, for legal challenges to protect families from deportation.
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| | Recent media coverage of this issue:
The Beat With Ari Melber, MSNBC- August 28, 2019
WBUR News- August 28, 2019
The Boston Globe – August 26, 2019
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| Irish International Immigrant Center One State Street 8th Floor, Boston, MA 02109 www.iiicenter.org | 617-542-7654 |
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