US gov’t offers reprieve on immigrant medical care cases

Sirlen Costa, of Brazil, holds her son Samuel, 5, as her niece Danyelle Sales, right, looks on during a news conference, Monday, Aug. 26, 2019, in Boston. Costa brought her son to the United States seeking treatment for his short bowel syndrome. Doctors and immigrant advocates say federal immigration authorities are unfairly ordering foreign born children granted deferred action for medical treatment to return to their countries. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

BOSTON — Federal immigration authorities have partly reversed course on a controversial decision to stop considering requests for foreign nationals to remain in the country for medical treatment or other special circumstances.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said letters will go out this week reopening all cases pending as of August 7.

The agency said on that date that it would no longer consider the requests and ordered all pending applicants to leave the country within 33 days.

Mahsa Khanbabai of the American Immigration Lawyers Association says the reprieve isn’t sufficient because it doesn’t address new requests.

The American Civil Liberties Union said it’s weighing a lawsuit.

U.S. Rep. Judy Chu, a California Democrat who called for a hearing slated for Friday on the issue, said the administration needs to reverse the decision entirely. /jpv