Washington: Sixty-three US lawmakers have urged the Trump administration to expedite green-card applications for legally present immigrants facing the loss of government-funded healthcare.
In a letter to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the lawmakers said new healthcare eligibility restrictions that took effect on October 1 were threatening coverage for refugees, asylum recipients and survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking.
The appeal was led by Democratic Congresswomen Yvette D. Clarke of New York and Adelita S. Grijalva of Arizona, along with 61 other members of Congress, including Indian-American lawmakers Raja Krishnamoorthi, Pramila Jayapal and Shri Thanedar.
The letter, dated October 14 and released publicly on October 19, was addressed to USCIS Director Joseph B. Edlow.
It called for an emergency processing mechanism for immigrants whose applications for lawful permanent residence remain pending while their eligibility for federal healthcare benefits is changing.
The lawmakers said restrictions introduced under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act were affecting access to Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, Medicare and Affordable Care Act premium tax credits.
They argued that many affected immigrants would qualify for continued healthcare benefits after obtaining permanent residence but were being prevented from doing so by administrative delays.
“Because Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs), that have already waited any required time, retain federal eligibility under health law, these individuals are losing their health insurance simply because they are trapped in a bureaucratic bottleneck,” the lawmakers wrote.
They warned that delays could force patients to postpone preventive treatment, potentially resulting in more serious illnesses and higher healthcare costs.
The lawmakers cited the case of an Arizona woman suffering from stage-four metastatic breast cancer who lost Medicaid coverage on October 1.
According to the letter, the woman is legally present in the United States but has been unable to obtain permanent residence because her green-card application remains pending.
She depends on chemotherapy for treatment.
The congressional press release said more than 281,000 legally present immigrants across nine states and Washington, DC, had been identified as facing the loss of Medicaid coverage beginning October 1.
It also cited a Congressional Budget Office estimate that 1.4 million legally present immigrants could become uninsured nationwide by 2034 because of healthcare eligibility restrictions.
Those figures represent estimates of the effects of the legislation, not the number of green-card applications awaiting adjudication.
The lawmakers requested three immediate measures from USCIS.
First, they called for an emergency expedited processing pathway for Form I-485 applications filed by immigrants facing imminent healthcare coverage termination. SEcondly they sought clarification of existing expedited processing criteria.
Third, they urged USCIS to coordinate with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and state agencies on guidance allowing coverage terminations to be delayed.
“Needless red tape should never be the determinant between life and death,” Clarke said.
Grijalva said more than 20,000 legally present refugees and immigrants in Arizona were at risk of losing healthcare coverage, citing cases involving a cancer patient and a nine-year-old boy with epilepsy.
The lawmakers requested a prompt response from USCIS outlining steps the agency would take to address the problem.
The letter does not establish that USCIS has agreed to expedite the applications or that the requested administrative changes have been implemented.
Form I-485 is used by eligible immigrants already in the United States to apply for adjustment of status to lawful permanent residence. Eligibility for federal healthcare programmes depends on immigration category, programme requirements and applicable waiting periods.
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