Hundreds of thousands of DACA recipients will have access to health services in the United States.

(CNN) — Hundreds of thousands of recipients of the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program will be eligible for affordable health care coverage this year after the regulation is finalized, the Biden administration announced Friday.

The new federal regulation will expand access to health insurance for beneficiaries of the DACA program — which allows undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children to live and work legally in the country — by adjusting the definition of “lawfully present” for enrollment in some health care programs. . Health care programs.

“Dreamers are now receiving the same treatment as other immigrants,” Xavier Becerra, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, told reporters before the announcement.

“We are committed to making health coverage accessible to all Americans, including DACA recipients, the ‘Dreamers,’ who have worked hard to live the American dream. Today, we take an important step toward achieving that goal,” he added.

It is Biden’s latest effort to boost the DACA program, as the push for comprehensive immigration reform has faltered in Congress. The rule will go into effect on November 1.

The announcement also comes as the Biden campaign tries to make inroads with Latino voters on a key issue: immigration. Biden is seeking to appeal to Latinos as his predecessor tried to make gains in a community that has long been important to the Democratic coalition. In previous elections, DACA recipients helped mobilize Democratic voters, galvanizing the votes of Latino communities across the country.

There are more than 530,000 active DACA recipients as of Dec. 31, 2023, according to federal data. Among them are about 429,000 Mexicans. DACA recipients often come from families of mixed status, including U.S. citizens, legal permanent residents, or undocumented family members.

HHS estimates that 100,000 currently uninsured DACA recipients will likely take advantage of the new rule and enroll in health coverage through the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance marketplace or through the Essential Health Program, according to the administration’s fact sheet.

Senior administration officials clarified that this figure is not the total number of eligible beneficiaries, but rather the ministry’s estimate of the number of people it believes will benefit from the change. Many DACA recipients already have the right to health care through their employers.

Question of Citizenship for DACA Recipients

Immigration has been a frequent point of political conflict between the White House and Republicans, who have criticized the administration’s handling of border security and have repeatedly challenged in court the administration’s moves to bolster DACA and expand programs to grant immigrants temporary legal status.

Last year, some Republican lawmakers urged the Biden administration not to expand taxpayer programs to DACA recipients.

The rule, initially proposed last year, does little to change the gridlock in Congress, where the latest round of talks on immigration reform did not address the issue of Dreamers. Congress has tried and failed for years to pass legislation that would provide a path to citizenship for “Dreamers,” or address the problems of the broader immigration system.

“The President will continue to fight for Dreamers, but only Congress can provide them with permanent status and a path to citizenship. Congress must act to ensure Dreamers stay here permanently,” the White House Domestic Policy Director told reporters. Council, Neera Tanden.