During a Cinco de Mayo event held at the White House, President Joe Biden declared that illegal aliens enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program would be granted taxpayer-funded healthcare under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), commonly known as Obamacare.
Biden referred to these illegal aliens, commonly known as “DREAMers,” as “model citizens” and reiterated his administration’s commitment to providing amnesty and a pathway to citizenship for them. He emphasized his belief that DACA recipients “deserve” equal access to healthcare, stating, “DREAMers can now get health insurance, as they deserve.”
Joe Biden says illegal aliens are “model citizens.”
Illegals are the models for criminals.
They’re the models for terrorists.
They’re the models for gang members.
They’re the models for rapists.
They’re the models for cartel agents.
If they were the models for anything…
— Joey Mannarino (@JoeyMannarinoUS) May 8, 2024
“The first bill I introduced was about DACA, to make sure that they have a … direct path to citizenship … we created [DACA] 12 years ago,” he said.
“It’s given 800,000 DREAMers a chance to go to work and school, contribute their immense talents in America. But more than a third of DREAMers couldn’t get health insurance. It’s wrong. And this rule changes all that. DREAMers can now get health insurance, as they deserve,” Biden added.
President Biden defended the DACA program against critics, emphasizing the injustice of penalizing individuals brought to the United States as children. He recounted the efforts of his administration to introduce comprehensive immigration reform, which includes pathways to citizenship for DACA recipients.
“My first day in office, as I said, I sent a comprehensive immigration reform bill to Congress. It expands legal paths for entries for families and employers. It includes pathways to citizenship for DREAMers in the only country that they ever called home,” the president said.
“I love it when people say, ‘Why DREAMers?’ Can you imagine a kid, two years old, saying, ‘Mom, don’t take me across the Rio Grande; it’s against the law’? Give me a break. These have been model citizens,” Biden added.
Biden then demanded Congress “act” in getting amnesty passed, saying, “The right thing to do is to keep pushing forward until we get it done.”
Biden on ILLEGAL ALIENS: “Can you imagine a kid, two years old, saying, ‘Mom, don’t take me across the Rio Grande. It’s against the law.’ Give me a break. These have been MODEL CITIZENS.” pic.twitter.com/7gXfrqGbdH
— National Immigration Center for Enforcement (@NICEnforcement) May 7, 2024
Despite his advocacy for DACA amnesty, concerns have been raised about the potential consequences of such a policy shift. Analysis from Breitbart News suggests that a DACA amnesty could lead to a surge in chain migration, allowing millions of foreign nationals to enter the country. Additionally, estimates indicate significant costs to taxpayers, particularly related to healthcare and social welfare programs. Breitbart News analysis noted that opening Obamacare to newly legalized illegal aliens could potentially cost American taxpayers roughly $115 billion, and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has estimated that this amnesty would cost taxpayers $26 billion.
Critics have also raised concerns about the economic ramifications of a DACA amnesty. Reports from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) suggest that such a policy could exert downward pressure on wages for American workers.
