DACA Fact Sheet and Member Highlight

Dear Active Members,
 
We’re excited to share a few updates with you this week including another chance to sign on to our reproductive justice letter, a new NILC report on DACA, and a big accomplishment by two of our steering committee members! Keep reading to learn more.
 
But first, please take a moment to sign up for our new mailing list to make sure you’ll continue to receive our emails! We will be transitioning over to this new list soon, so please take a moment to re-register your membership now!

NILC Factsheet on DACA Recipients’ Access to Health Care
 

NILC recently published a new fact sheet focused on access to health care for DACA recipients that was featured in Bloomberg Government. This fact sheet reports on findings from a 2021 survey of 1,021 DACA recipients administered by Tom K. Wong of the University of California, San Diego, United We Dream, the National Immigration Law Center, and the Center for American Progress. Survey results found that DACA recipients  face systemic barriers in health care access that have led to the high uninsured rates, unmet medical costs, and delaying medical care. 

The Biden administration could help to address these challenges by changing regulations that barred DACA recipients from ACA coverage, or from Medicaid in states that allow lawfully present kids/pregnant people to enroll. Yet they have failed to do so at this point. Congress could also pass the HEAL or LIFT the BAR Acts to address the systemic barriers causing this eligibility gap.

Member Highlight: Presidential Medal of Freedom

Last Week President Biden gave the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, to leaders of two PIF steering committee member organizations: Sister Simone from NETWORK and Raúl Yzaguirre the founder of National Council of La Raza (now UndidosUS).  We wanted to inspire you with a bit more information about each of them.

---

Sister Simone led NETWORK lobby for Catholic Social Justice from 2004 to 2021, and propelled it into the national spotlight with her committed advocacy for justice. In conferring the award, Biden, who once joined Sr. Simone on the widely regarded “Nuns on the Bus” tour, credited her with helping pass the Affordable Care Act. “Sister Simone Campbell is a gift from God,” Biden said.  You can see Sister Simone talking about her life’s work.

Raúl Yzaguirre founded National Council of La Raza, and grew it from an organization with a $500,000 budget and 23 affiliates into a powerhouse with a $40 million budget and 250 affiliates nationwide.  He brought together the nation's increasingly diverse Latino population to forge a stronger political force that could command the attention of Washington power brokers. Unidos US wrote in a recent article, “Raúl is a pioneer and trailblazer who has dedicated his life to fighting for justice and equality, and he holds much of the responsibility for building the Hispanic civil rights movement into the force that it is today.”

PIF is very proud to see the excellent work of our partners recognized and honored in this way! Interested in sharing your wins with the PIF network? Add your organization as an active member now.

Sign on Opportunity: Support health access for immigrants in WA

Join us in supporting Washington state’s request to the federal government to allow all Washington residents, regardless of immigration status, to access health coverage through the state’s Washington Healthplanfinder website. Today, some immigrants are not allowed to access coverage through Healthplanfinder because of federal immigration restrictions. If granted, the Exchange’s request would allow all immigrants to buy health and dental plans through Healthplanfinder, plus offer state subsidies for those with low income. The Exchange’s request also says that the state will not share the identifying information of the new immigrant group with the federal government. 

In Solidarity,

Adriana Cadena & Cheasty Anderson, on behalf of the PIF Team

Visit us at https://protectingimmigrantfamilies.org/