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Trump administration has terminated a policy that allows undocumented immigrants to stay in the United States and avoid deportation if they are receiving life-saving medical treatments. The policy change also takes away protections for immigrants whose family members are receiving life-saving care. It was announced during the current month in letters forwarded to families in order to inform them of their new standing. The U.S Senator Ed Markey is a Democrat and frequent critic of the president. He said the rule is unprecedented, even for an administration that has come to be known for its harsh and relentless approach to immigration.

Markey said, “This is a new low. Donald Trump is literally deporting kids with cancer”. A mother from Honduras, Mariela Sanchez has applied for a special exemption for her 16-year-old son Jonathan, who has cystic fibrosis. She said, “He would be dead”. Sanchez is among those who may be impacted by the rules change. She moved to the Boston area in 2016 so that her son could receive care in the city’s hospitals. Her daughter also died from the same disease when doctors in her home country failed to diagnose. She now has more concerns to add to her plate and said, “I have panic attacks over this every day”.

Critics say that the change in policy could force vulnerable families, like Sanchez’s, to seek out lesser treatments in their home countries, which are often poverty-stricken. The advocate Anthony Marino has indicated the new rule could impact some 20 families fighting HIV, cancer, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, epilepsy, and other conditions in Boston alone. The recent change has been confirmed by a spokeswoman for U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services. The spokeswoman has indicated the policy came into effect on 7 August. The special medical or hardship is similar to another policy that the Trump administration has targeted. It is noteworthy that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that was implemented by the former U.S President Barack Obama.