Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador has joined a federal lawsuit to prevent the Biden-Harris administration from extending Obamacare benefits to illegal immigrants. The legal action, spearheaded by Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, includes attorneys general from 14 other states.
"The Biden-Harris Administration has made it overwhelmingly clear that our borders are wide open and that illegal immigration will be rewarded," said Attorney General Labrador. "The latest taxpayer-financed incentive is free healthcare. Illegal immigrants shouldn’t get a free pass into our country when so many others wait patiently and follow every legal process for the privilege of being here, sometimes for years on end. The utter disregard for federal laws, from the illegal immigrants and the Biden-Harris administration both, is unacceptable and indistinguishable."
The proposed plan, which is scheduled to take effect on November 1, would make over 200,000 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients eligible for taxpayer-subsidized health plans. This includes approximately 2,760 DACA recipients in Idaho.
The complaint argues that the regulation violates federal law prohibiting public benefits for illegal immigrants and contradicts the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
"In the ACA, Congress limited eligibility to participate in a qualified health plan through a subsidized health exchange to citizens or nationals of the United States and individuals 'lawfully present' in the United States," states the complaint.
In addition to Idaho and Kansas, attorneys general from Alabama, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Virginia have joined the lawsuit.
Read the full complaint here.