Imagine being a parent of a child with cancer, cerebral palsy, or severe diabetes, and being told that getting them life-saving medical care might get your family reported to immigration. That was the impossible choice facing hundreds of immigrant families in Tennessee, until a judge stepped in.
On Wednesday, a judge temporarily halted the Tennessee Department of Health from sharing identifying information about 400 seriously ill and disabled immigrant children with federal immigration authorities. These kids are all part of a decades-old healthcare assistance program designed to help cover the astronomical costs of their conditions.
The order came after three Nashville doctors decided enough was enough and filed a lawsuit. Why? Because state officials had started sending letters to healthcare providers and immigrant families, essentially saying, "New law, new rules. After June, we're sharing your info."
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Start Your News DetoxThe Law That Caused All This
This delightful new law is one of several introduced by Tennessee Republicans this year, all apparently designed to align with former President Donald Trump's immigration policies. Because, apparently, that's where we are now.
The Children's Special Services program, which these children rely on, helps cover everything from cancer treatments to seizure disorders. It even receives federal funding. But according to the state's letters, if families stayed in the program, their immigration status would be reported to the Tennessee Department of Safety.
House Speaker Cameron Sexton, back in January, was quite clear on the state's intentions: they'd "have the data" and "transparency" to ensure taxpayer dollars weren't spent on those in the country illegally, "unless you're in jail." Which, if you think about it, is both a policy statement and a rather bleak punchline.
Michele Johnson, executive director of the Tennessee Justice Center, which filed the lawsuit for the doctors, called it an "impossible choice for mothers" that "risks the lives and the dignity of these children." And she's not wrong.
Doctors from Siloam Health clinics, who serve many of these uninsured and underserved patients, reported that families were already dropping out or planning to. Some weren't even undocumented; they simply lived in "mixed-status" families and feared the repercussions. The lawsuit argues that implementing this rule would essentially prevent doctors from doing their jobs.
For now, the Tennessee Justice Center is advising families to stay in the program while the courts sort this out. A hearing is scheduled for July 2. Because nothing says "compassionate healthcare" like making families choose between life-saving treatment and a potential deportation notice.
