NASHVILLE, TN — Last week, the Tennessee Department of Health moved to require verification of the immigration status of children enrolled in Children’s Special Services, a critical safety-net program, and to potentially share that information with federal immigration authorities. This policy puts immigrant children across Tennessee, including those with serious and life-threatening conditions such as cancer, spina bifida, and other terminal illnesses, at risk of losing access to the lifesaving medical care they rely on. According to Metro Department of Public Health officials, about 100 children without legal immigration status are at risk of losing ongoing medical coverage in Central Tennessee.
In response, Anne Kelsey, Senior Policy Analyst for Disability Rights, at the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights released the following statement:
“Every child deserves to be cared for, protected, and given the chance to thrive—including children with significant disabilities, chronic health conditions, or life-threatening illnesses. Policies like this betray that responsibility by placing the most medically vulnerable children in harm’s way and turning access to lifesaving care into a source of fear. Tennessee officials are choosing to entangle healthcare with immigration enforcement, knowing it will force families into impossible decisions and deter children from receiving the treatment they need to live. The Young Center calls on state leaders to immediately reverse this cruel policy and ensure that no child is denied critical care because of their immigration status. Our children’s well-being must come first, regardless of where they were born.”
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The Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights is a non-profit organization that protects and advances the rights and best interests of immigrant children and advocates for an immigration system that treats children as children first.
