March 4, 2020 10:00 a.m.
Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, along with eight Democratic colleagues, are pressing President Trump and the Coronavirus Task Force to immediately halt two administration policies.
A release from Merkley said he believes the policies “intimidate people from seeking medical attention”, amid serious concerns that these policies could accelerate the spread of coronavirus.
Merkley said the first policy is a practice of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which he said is arresting people seeking care at hospitals and other medical facilities, and targeting them for potential deportation. The second is the administration’s “public charge” rule, which order U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to use enrollment in certain benefit programs such as Medicaid, as a means to deny green cards and visas for individuals.
Merkley said the policies will “stoke fear in migrant communities” and keep people from seeking medical attention. Merkley said that could seriously impact community health as the coronavirus outbreak spreads.