Joint Statement on the President’s Proclamation
Bitta Mostofi, Commissioner of the NYC Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs
Henry Garrido, Executive Director, District Council 37
Judith Cutchin, RN, NYSNA Board Member and President, NYSNA's NYC H+H/Mayoral Executive Council
Dr. Frank Proscia, President, Doctors Council
Nov 03, 2019
We commend the court for halting the President’s Proclamation, regarding visas for immigrants, from going into effect for now. Not only would the Proclamation have acted to separate families, it would have functioned as a wealth test to keep hundreds of thousands of immigrants from entering our country. Denying visas to low-income immigrants, based on their ability to obtain health insurance upon arrival to the United States, flies in the face of the values of our city and our nation.
The President’s mean-spirited and unworkable policy is part of a coordinated strategy to not only minimize immigration to the United States, but to confuse and intimidate immigrant families from accessing public programs and services for which they qualify under the law. Further, like “Public Charge” and other Trump Administration attacks on immigrant communities, this Proclamation disproportionately targets families of color.
In New York City and at NYC Health + Hospitals, our doors are open to everyone. We won’t be swayed from our mission to deliver quality health care to all New Yorkers no matter their insurance status, their income, or where they come from.
We urge Congress to continue to fight to protect immigrant families and to support an American healthcare system that makes quality health care accessible and affordable for all patients.
New Yorkers who have questions about how the Proclamation could impact someone who is seeking an immigrant visa at a consulate abroad, can call 311 and say ‘ActionNYC’ for free, confidential legal help.
BACKGROUND
The Presidential Proclamation on the Suspension of Entry of Immigrants Who Will Financially Burden the United States Healthcare System, issued on October 4, 2019 and scheduled to go into effect today, November 3, 2019, has been halted from going into effect for now by a federal court in Portland, Oregon. The temporary restraining order granted on November 2, 2019, blocks the implementation of the proclamation’s directive for United States consulate staff abroad to deny immigrant visas to applicants seeking admission from outside the country unless they are wealthy or can prove that within 30 days of arrival they will obtain one of several types of approved health insurance coverage that is not publicly funded or subsidized.