White House slams court decision blocking migrant insurance rule

The White House on Sunday blasted a recent federal court decision to temporarily block the Trump administration’s new policy requiring migrants who want certain visas to have health insurance or prove they can pay health care costs. 

“We strongly disagree with the district court’s decision to impose a nationwide injunction against the President’s policy on a preliminary, emergency basis over the weekend without even affording the government an opportunity to provide a written defense,” White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement.  {mosads}

“Once again, a nationwide injunction is permitting a single judge to thwart the President’s policy judgment on a matter where Congress expressly gave the President authority,” she added. “It is wrong and unfair for a single district court judge to thwart the policies that the President determined would best protect the United States healthcare system — and for the United States taxpayers to suffer the grave consequences of the immense strain inflicted on the healthcare system from subsidizing uncompensated care for those seeking admission.”

She said the administration would “make its defense in court” in the statement. 

The White House last month released a proclamation saying that migrants seeking the visas would need to get health insurance so they would not “burden” the U.S. health care system. The policy, slated to go into effect Sunday, was criticized by immigrant rights advocates who said it targeted low-income migrants. 

Judge Michael H. Simon, an Obama appointee, on Saturday temporarily blocked the policy from taking effect. 

The federal judge argued that a legal challenge to the proclamation showed a “substantial likelihood of success, or at least serious questions.”

“They have already demonstrated an extreme hardship if the visa applicant were to be separated from family members,” Simon added. 

Plaintiff Carmen Rubio, the executive director of Latino Network, said in a statement that the judge’s decision “highlights the urgency of blocking this health care ban before it causes irreparable damage to our community and those we serve.”