Washington, October 20, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Sixty-three US lawmakers have urged the Trump administration to speed up green-card applications for legally present immigrants facing the loss of government-funded healthcare, warning that processing delays could leave vulnerable patients without access to essential treatment.
In a letter dated October 14 and made public on October 19, the lawmakers asked US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Joseph B. Edlow to introduce emergency processing for eligible immigrants whose applications for lawful permanent residence remain pending as new healthcare eligibility restrictions take effect.
The appeal was led by Democratic Congresswomen Yvette D. Clarke of New York and Adelita S. Grijalva of Arizona. Indian-American lawmakers Raja Krishnamoorthi, Pramila Jayapal and Shri Thanedar were among the other signatories.
The lawmakers said restrictions under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, effective October 1, were affecting access to Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, Medicare and Affordable Care Act premium tax credits for certain immigrant groups, including refugees, asylum recipients and survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking.
They argued that some affected immigrants could retain healthcare eligibility after obtaining permanent residence but were losing coverage while awaiting decisions on their applications.
The letter cited an Arizona woman with stage-four metastatic breast cancer who reportedly lost Medicaid coverage on October 1 despite being legally present in the country. She depends on chemotherapy, according to the lawmakers.
A congressional press release said more than 281,000 legally present immigrants across nine states and Washington, DC, were identified as being at risk of losing Medicaid coverage. It also cited a Congressional Budget Office estimate that 1.4 million legally present immigrants could become uninsured nationwide by 2034 because of the restrictions.
The lawmakers requested an emergency expedited pathway for Form I-485 applications involving imminent healthcare coverage losses, clarification of existing expedited-processing criteria and coordination between USCIS, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and state agencies.
Clarke said administrative delays should not determine whether patients can access life-saving care. Grijalva separately highlighted the risks to affected families in Arizona.
The letter seeks action from USCIS but does not indicate that the agency has agreed to the requests or implemented the proposed measures. Form I-485 is used by eligible immigrants already in the United States to apply for lawful permanent residence.
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