Last week, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas issued a new, comprehensive policy to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to limit their enforcement actions in or near protected areas. The policy provides a more thorough and non-exhaustive list of locations where immigration agents are restricted from conducting enforcement actions, including places where children gather such as playgrounds and recreation centers and locations providing social services and disaster relief.

This new policy took effect immediately after its release on October 27th, and is a welcome step in protecting immigrants and their families in accessing care and services without fear of detention. For more information,  read NILC’s & CLASP’s statements.

Earlier this week, CMS released a fact sheet on health coverage options for Afghan evacuees. According to the fact sheet, Afghan evacuees can access health insurance through Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), the Health Insurance Marketplace, or Refugee Medical Assistance (RMA or other health coverage provided by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR)). Read the fact sheet for more information on eligibility and guidance for both Afghans with a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) and parolees.

The Migration Policy Institute has published an issue brief that examines eligibility for and participation in Medicaid by foreign-born, non-elderly adults (ages 19 to 64). The brief also presents estimated participation rates for immigrant adults eligible for the program and provides an overview of the characteristics of those who are excluded. The analysis finds that 9.5 million non-elderly foreign-born adults had incomes that met state eligibility thresholds, but nearly half of them (4.3 million adults) did not qualify for Medicaid due to immigration-status restrictions.