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Administration Appears to Reverse Decision to Deport Critically Ill Children After Pressure from Oversight Committee

Image of a desk with a judge's gavel sitting up on it. A heading reads: "Medical deferred action for critically ill children"

On September 19, 2019, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sent notification to the Oversight Committee, stating:

We wanted to let you know that, at the direction of Acting Secretary McAleenan, USCIS is resuming its consideration of non-military deferred action requests on a discretionary, case-by-case basis, except as otherwise required by an applicable statute, regulation, or court order.

This appears to reverse a recent policy that the administration would begin deporting critically ill children and their families.

The press release can be read in full here.

Isabel Bueso from Concord, CA, gives testimony to the U.S. House Oversight & Reform Committee about the importance of maintaining medical deferred action for medically fragile children and adults.View a recording of witness testimony on the importance of maintaining medical deferred action for medically fragile children and adults, in an emergency hearing on September 11, 2019.