US judge blocks Trump's health insurance rule for immigrants
Portland: A federal judge in Portland, Oregon, on Saturday put on hold a Trump administration rule requiring immigrants prove they will have health insurance or can pay for medical care before they can get visas.
US District Judge Michael Simon granted a preliminary injunction that prevents the rule from going into effect Sunday. It's not clear when he will rule on the merits of the case.
Seven Us citizens and a nonprofit organization filed the federal lawsuit Wednesday contending the rule would block nearly two-thirds of all prospective legal immigrants.
The lawsuit also said the rule would greatly reduce or eliminate the number of immigrants who enter the United States with family sponsored visas.
"We're very grateful that the court recognized the need to block the health care ban immediately," says Justice Action Center senior litigator Esther Sung, who argued at Saturday's hearing on behalf of the plaintiffs.
"The ban would separate families and cut two-thirds of green-card-based immigration starting tonight, were the ban not stopped," he said.
The proclamation signed by President Donald Trump in early October applies to people seeking immigrant visas from abroad not those in the US already. It does not affect lawful permanent residents. It does not apply to asylum-seekers, refugees or children.
The proclamation says immigrants will be barred from entering the country unless they are to be covered by health insurance within 30 days of entering or have enough financial resources to pay for any medical costs.
The rule is the Trump administration's latest effort to limit immigrant access to public programs while trying to move the country away from a family based immigration system to a merit-based system.
The White House said in a statement at the time the proclamation was issued that too many non-citizens were taking advantage of the country's "generous public health programs," and said immigrants contribute to the problem of "uncompensated health care costs."
Under the government's visa rule, the required insurance can be bought individually or provided by an employer and it can be short-term coverage or catastrophic.
Medicaid doesn't count, and an immigrant can't get a visa if using the Affordable Care Act's subsidies when buying insurance. The federal government pays for those subsidies.
According to the Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan immigration think tank, 57% of US immigrants had private health insurance in 2017, compared with 69% of US-born, and 30% had public health insurance coverage, compared with 36% of native-born.
The uninsured rate for immigrants dropped from 32% to 20% from 2013 to 2017, since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, according to Migration Policy.
There are about 1.1 million people who obtain green cards each year.
"Countless thousands across the country can breathe a sigh of relief today because the court recognized the urgent and irreparable harm that would have been inflicted" without the hold, said Jesse Bless, director of federal litigation at the American Immigration Lawyers Association.
Earlier this year, the administration made sweeping changes to regulations that would deny green cards to immigrants who use some forms of public assistance, but the courts have blocked that measure.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Nightclub fire: Thai authorities initiating process to send back Luthra brothers to India
Panaji/ New Delhi (PTI): Authorities in Thailand are initiating the process to deport Gaurav Luthra and Saurabh Luthra, co-owners of the nightclub in Goa where 25 people were killed in a fire on December 6, government sources said on Friday.
As the state police are probing the tragedy, a local resident who claims to be the original owner of the land where `Birch by Romeo Lane' nightclub stood claimed that the zoning of the saltpan land was "quietly" changed for the club's benefit.
AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, meanwhile, lashed out at the BJP government over "corruption" in the coastal state, and said Chief Minister Pramod Sawant should apologise to the people over the fire incident.
The Indian embassy in Bangkok is in close touch with the Thai authorities to expedite the deportation of the Luthras, official sources in Delhi said.
The brothers have been detained by Thai authorities in Phuket following an intervention by the embassy, they said.
ALSO READ: Messi Magic: Hyderabad stadium decked up to witness legend's 'Penalty Shootout' on Dec 13
"The Thai authorities are presently taking action as per local laws, including for sending the two individuals back to India," said one of the sources.
The Luthras left for Phuket shortly after the fire incident.
A Delhi court on Wednesday refused to give any interim protection from arrest to the duo, while their partner was held.
Five managers and staff members have already been arrested by Goa Police in connection with the fire that broke out at the nightclub located in Arpora, 25 km from Panaji, around midnight on December 6.
Police have recorded the statements of at least 50 persons in the case so far, said an official.
Pradeep Ghadi Amonkar, who claims to be the original owner of the land where the club stood, alleged that a portion of his property was converted from saltpan to settlement zone without his knowledge.
He had signed a sale agreement with Surinder Kumar Khosla in 2004, but it was withdrawn within six months as he allegedly did not receive the payment. Kholsa set up a nightclub on the land, and it was later taken over by Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, Amonkar had alleged earlier.
While the case filed by him has been pending in the court for 21 years, on Thursday he discovered that "the government quietly changed the zoning of my land without informing me,” Amonkar said.
No notice was served to him concerning the zone change, he claimed, asking how salt pan can be converted into a settlement zone.
A senior Goa Town and Country Planning official said as an inquiry into this matter is underway, it would not be appropriate for them to comment.
Speaking at a public meeting in Goa, Kejriwal, campaigning for local body elections, said, "This is perhaps the most corrupt government, and the least the chief minister could do is to apologise to the people of Goa for Arpora incident and ensure safety in all the establishments."
The nightclub did not have several requisite permissions, still it could operate because it paid "hafta" or regular bribes to government officials, he alleged.
Meanwhile, the state BJP has sought clarification from two of its leaders for alleging corruption against the backdrop of the fire tragedy.
MLA Michael Lobo and former tourism minister Dilip Parulekar had alleged large-scale corruption in the beach belt, claiming that it had resulted in illegalities in the tourism sector.
“I have heard the statement by both the leaders. I have sought clarification from them for making such statements,” BJP Goa president Damodar Naik told reporters in Panaji on Friday.
