Pediatricians and public health care providers said they feared life-threatening consequences for children with critical illnesses who rely on a specialized public health care program as Tennessee moves forward with a directive to verify and report their immigration status.
Letters sent by the Tennessee Department of Health warn parents that children without legal status who opt to continue to receive care through the Children’s Special Services program after June 30 will be reported to the Tennessee Department of Safety’s Centralized Immigration Enforcement Division, which shares data with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The program, accessed through local public health departments, serves as a last-resort public health insurance program for low-income kids with disabilities, kids on ventilators and kids with life-threatening illnesses, such as cancer, spina bifida, congestive heart disease and terminal illnesses. For decades, the program has served children in Tennessee regardless of immigration status.
“This letter is to inform you that based on our records, due to the current immigration status of your child … if the Children’s Special Services program keeps paying for healthcare after June 30, 2026, the Tennessee Department of Health will share your child’s information to the Tennessee Department of Safety, as required by new law,” says a template of the letter obtained by the Tennessee Lookout.
The letter is signed by John Dunn, interim commissioner of the Health Department.