AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges) President and CEO David J. Skorton, MD, issued the following statement on the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Texas’ decision that the 2012 Obama Administration Executive Order creating the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program is unlawful:
“The AAMC is alarmed by today’s District Court ruling that undermines the nation’s health by jeopardizing the work authorization of nearly 30,000 health care workers with DACA status at a time when our nation’s health care workforce is still strained by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
We appreciate that the judge’s order is stayed as to current DACA recipients. However, the cloud of uncertainty resulting from this court decision serves no one. We urge Congress to enact a permanent path to citizenship for these individuals, such as the U.S. Dream and Promise Act (H.R. 6), which recently passed in the U.S. House of Representatives.”