After public outcry, Trump administration says it is reconsidering deporting seriously ill immigrants


Following outrage from the public and doctors, the Trump administration on Monday said it is rethinking its decision to deport immigrants who are dealing with life-threatening illnesses.
Under its deferred action program, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency let undocumented immigrants avoid deportation if they or family members were undergoing medical treatment for serious illnesses. To participate, immigrants had to request a renewal every two years. On Aug. 7, the program was ended without any public notice, and immigrants who recently made requests were sent letters telling them the agency was no longer accepting the requests, and they would face deportation if they didn't leave the U.S. within 33 days.
On Monday, the agency said it will "complete the caseload that was pending on August 7," but did not say if the program will keep going after these applications go through. An official told The New York Times the agency is still reviewing the program and has not made a final decision on whether to continue some version of the initiative. The agency said that annually, it receives 1,000 applications for the program.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Several of the immigrants who received letters have participated in clinical studies and drug trials, including Maria Isabel Bueso, 24. She has a rare genetic disease, and when she was a child, doctors in the U.S. asked if she could come from Guatemala and participate in a drug trial. Thanks to Bueso, a treatment was discovered for her disease, and has extended the life span of a typical patient. This treatment is not available in Guatemala, and her doctors told the Times without her medication, Bueso, whose parents have private insurance and cover all of her health-care costs, will die.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Judge blocks Trump's asylum ban at US border
Speed Read The president violated federal law by shutting down the US-Mexico border to asylum seekers, said the ruling
-
Thai court suspends prime minister over leaked call
Speed Read Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended, pending an ethics investigation
-
Senate passes GOP megabill after Alaska side deal
The pivotal yes vote came from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, whose support was secured following negotiated side deals for her home state Alaska
-
Trump sues LA over immigration policies
Speed Read He is suing over the city's sanctuary law, claiming it prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities
-
Obama, Bush and Bono eulogize USAID on final day
Speed Read The US Agency for International Development, a humanitarian organization, has been gutted by the Trump administration
-
The last words and final moments of 40 presidents
The Explainer Some are eloquent quotes worthy of the holders of the highest office in the nation, and others... aren't
-
Senate advances GOP bill that costs more, cuts more
Speed Read The bill would make giant cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, leaving 11.8 million fewer people with health coverage
-
Canadian man dies in ICE custody
Speed Read A Canadian citizen with permanent US residency died at a federal detention center in Miami