TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced Tuesday that the state is leading a coalition of 14 states in a legal effort to protect health care access for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients.
“New Jersey’s Dreamers make our state strong and vibrant and they should not be deprived of access to basic health care services,” said Governor Murphy. “We must never back down from defending our fundamental values.”
The coalition filed a motion to intervene in a lawsuit challenging a federal rule that allows DACA recipients, often referred to as Dreamers, to purchase health insurance through Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchanges. This legal action comes as the incoming Trump administration is expected to withdraw support for the rule.
“According to data in the Final Rule, DACA recipients are three times more likely to be uninsured than the general U.S. population. Uninsured populations drive up healthcare costs overall and worsen public health, resulting in increased premature deaths, uncompensated care costs, increased medical debt, reduced spending power, lost productivity, and absenteeism from work and school. The Final Rule, by expanding insurance access to allow DACA recipients to buy insurance through ACA exchanges, helps this population and aids the states generally,” the state said in a statement today.
“I have proudly led the fight for DACA for years, and now I’m proud to lead the effort ensuring that Dreamers have the same access to healthcare as everyone else,” Attorney General Platkin said in a statement.
Established in 2012, DACA enables certain young people, who came to the United States as children and have lived here continuously since 2007, to avoid immediate fear of deportation for revocable two-year periods. Separate regulations establish that individuals who have received grants of deferred action may work lawfully in the country. New Jersey has been leading the fight to defend DACA since 2018, when the Trump Administration refused to defend the policy, and New Jersey continues to defend DACA in the ongoing legal challenge led by Texas.
The Biden administration’s Final Rule, issued in 2023, expanded ACA eligibility to include DACA recipients. However, a coalition of states led by Kansas filed a legal challenge, prompting concerns that the rule could be overturned, jeopardizing health care access for thousands.
Governor Phil Murphy expressed strong support for the legal action, emphasizing that Dreamers are an integral part of New Jersey’s communities and economy.
New Jersey is home to more than 16,000 active DACA recipients, many of whom are employed, own businesses, or are pursuing higher education.
“Today’s motion explains that because the incoming Trump Administration threatens to stop defending the rule, these states are stepping in to defend it. President-elect Trump criticized the final rule during his 2024 campaign, and his previous administration declined to defend both DACA and the ACA. Attorney General Platkin and the multistate coalition have stepped in to defend this critical rule, just as they previously stepped in to fight for DACA itself,” the state press release continued.
The legal action aims to prevent disruptions in health care access that could negatively impact public health and increase health care costs.
