In Tennessee, hundreds of parents of undocumented children who have critical illnesses or physical disabilities received a letter this month that threatens to upend their medical treatment. <\/p>\n
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Families were told that the Department of Health would share information on their child\u2019s immigration status with the state\u2019s immigration enforcement office if they continued receiving care through a specialized public health care program.<\/p>\n
\u201cI read the letter. I read it many times to make sure I understood it properly,\u201d said Brenda, a Honduran mother with a 12-year-old daughter living with cerebral palsy and epilepsy. She said she even asked her older daughter to take a look.<\/p>\n
The letter let Brenda know that if she keeps her daughter enrolled in the Children\u2019s Special Services program from the Tennessee Department of Health after June 30, the agency will be required to turn over the girl\u2019s information to the Centralized Immigration Enforcement Division, a state office created last year to oversee collaboration with federal immigration authorities.<\/p>\n
Considered \u201ca payer of last resort,<\/a>\u201d Children\u2019s Special Services is a publicly funded program that helps low-income families<\/a> afford costly treatments <\/a>such as surgeries, medications and rehabilitation services.<\/p>\n Brenda\u2019s daughter Sofia is among an estimated 400 immigrant children who are now at risk of losing access to those services at the end of the month. <\/p>\n Tennessee lawmakers in May approved a law<\/a> that requires local health departments to \u201creport individuals and all identifying information about such individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n Republican lawmakers in favor of the legislation \u2014 including state Rep. Dennis Powers, the lead sponsor of the bill \u2014 insist that it does not limit access to lifesaving care to children. <\/p>\n In a statement to WBIR, NBC\u2019s affiliate in Knoxville, <\/a>Powers said, \u201cNo child receiving lifesaving medical treatment is denied care because of this new law. Federal protections for emergency and lifesaving medical services remain fully in place regardless of immigration status, criminal status or insurance. It simply ensures taxpayer-funded public benefits are reserved for those who are legally eligible to receive them.\u201d <\/p>\n Brenda said mothers like her are now facing an impossible dilemma. Removing their children from the program means they won\u2019t be able to pay for the medical services they need.<\/p>\n \u201cBut if we stay, they\u2019ll come knocking on our door asking about our children as if they were criminals,\u201d Brenda said, her voice breaking. \u201cWe are waiting for a miracle to stop the new state law from going into effect next month.\u201d <\/p>\n Brenda spoke to NBC News on condition that only her first name be used for fear of retribution.<\/p>\n Brenda said she left her native Honduras for the U.S. a decade ago and sought medical care for Sofia after the girl had her first seizure when she was 2. Once in the U.S., her daughter was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, epilepsy and a congenital heart disease.<\/p>\n A heart surgery that saved Sofia\u2019s life when she was younger was covered by the Children\u2019s Special Services, the mother said. The program now helps Brenda, who is a single working mother, afford her daughter\u2019s anti-seizure medications and visits to medical specialists such as cardiologists and neurologists. <\/p>\n \u201cShe knows that she depends heavily on her medications,\u201d Brenda said of her daughter. \u201cWithout it, I fear, she will have a seizure.\u201d<\/p>\n Sofia also requires a wheelchair as well as physical therapy to treat her mobility issues, and occupational therapy to develop her speech. Without the program, Brenda said, one therapy session can cost over $1,000.<\/p>\n In 2024, the Children\u2019s Special Services program spent $2.19 million in claims to support 4,640 children in Tennessee who received medical payment assistance along with essential care coordination services, according to the latest annual report<\/a> from the state\u2019s Department of Health. The program receives a mix of state funding and a federal block grant.<\/a> <\/p>\n Dr. Jill Obremskey, a pediatrician and former Tennessee Department of Health official, said it\u2019s imperative for taxpayers to \u201cunderstand they\u2019re saving a life by their little contribution. They\u2019re truly saving a life, prolonging a life or improving the life of a child.\u201d<\/p>\n Under the new law, the undocumented children participating in the program will undoubtedly experience interruptions to the critical care they require, Obremskey said. \u201cThose interruptions will lead to worsening health, more emergency room visits, more hospitalizations, more suffering, and for some children, death.\u201d<\/p>\n At a news conference Tuesday, families, physicians and immigrant rights advocates called on Republican Gov. Bill Lee to take steps to protect undocumented children receiving care through the program.<\/p>\n