Delaware
Del. delegation confronts federal layoffs, immigration fears in virtual town hall
Immigration and fears of mass deportations
Concerns over immigration enforcement and protections for undocumented Delawareans was another focus of the town hall, as residents voiced growing fears over mass deportations and family separations.
Coons told attendees that Gov. Matt Meyer is closely collaborating with local law enforcement and advocacy groups to prevent unnecessary and disruptive immigration raids.
“There are lots of families who I hear are scared of being arrested in a raid and then separated from their children,” Coons said. “As a result, they’re not taking advantage of health services or educational opportunities. The governor is trying to, in partnership with local governments and the [American Civil Liberties Union] of Delaware and the attorney general, communicate more broadly about what the expectations and standards are here in Delaware for any cooperation or refusal to cooperate with ICE, but that’s mostly a state and local matter.”
After rallies across the state advocating for immigrant protections — some even calling for Delaware to become a sanctuary state — the delegation outlined what the state has done and what more could be considered.
McBride noted that such decisions lie with state and local lawmakers, but stressed that Delaware should focus on community safety over strict immigration enforcement.
“What I can tell you is that we are working to ensure that law enforcement’s resources are not being misused for draconian family separation or mass deportations that exceed both federal law and what our priorities should be at the local and state level,” she said.
Jennings reinforced existing legal protections for undocumented residents, adding that while immigration arrests in Delaware have involved those accused or convicted of crimes, mass deportations have not occurred, though she fears that could change.
“The immigration arrests that have occurred in Delaware to date have been largely people who have been accused of or convicted of qualifying crimes,” she said. “What has not happened to date is mass deportation, mass roundups of individuals, but I think that is going to happen in the future. President Trump is under a lot of pressure right now because he promised all of these mass deportations, and the numbers aren’t adding up. He isn’t meeting his numbers, so to speak. In not meeting his numbers, he is feeling like he needs to up the ante.”
She also highlighted ongoing efforts to protect birthright citizenship for children of undocumented parents.
“We are fighting for that right now,” Jennings said. “The 14th Amendment protects them. Most constitutional scholars, including the judges who have heard these cases, absolutely believe that the 14th Amendment guarantees birthright citizenship. But we will continue to be vigilant because we know this fight is far from over.”
As the town hall drew to a close, the delegation encouraged residents to raise their voices about what is happening in their communities.
“The single most powerful thing you can do is to help us bring your stories to Congress to illustrate the harm and consequences of this administration’s actions,” McBride said.
http://www.fox43.com
https://www.facebook.com/fox43news/
Posts by fox43
https://www.instagram.com/fox43/
Thomas Jefferson University is opening a regional campus of its Sidney Kimmel Medical College in Delaware, an effort that will result in the state’s first medical school.
Jefferson beat out three other bidders to establish the four-year program in partnership with the state. The other bidders were the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, the consulting firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Ponce Health Sciences University in Puerto Rico, Spotlight Delaware reported.
MORE: SEPTA reopens underground concourse connecting Walnut-Locust and City Hall stations
The inaugural class of 40 medical students will begin instruction in July 2028. Initially, the campus will be based at the University of Delaware in Newark, with Jefferson faculty providing instruction. A permanent home for the campus is still being finalized, the Inquirer reported.
The medical students will receive 18 months of preclinical training on campus before receiving clinical training from healthcare providers in Delaware’s southern counties, where the state’s physician shortage is most deeply felt. That shortage is compounded by an aging population, Delaware officials said.
“Jefferson is committed to being part of the solution to Delaware’s physician shortage,” Jefferson CEO Dr. Joseph Cacchione said in a statement. “We are proud to help build a future where every Delawarean has access to the care they deserve. Jefferson is all in.”
The school’s creation is being supported by $157.4 million from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Delaware is one of three states without a Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine program. Since the late 1960s, Jefferson and the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine have reserved seats for Delaware students.
“Sidney Kimmel Medical College has trained generations of physicians for more than 200 years, more than any other medical college in the country,” Said Ibrahim, dean of Sidney Kimmel Medical College, said in a statement. “It is a privilege to bring our mission to Delaware’s patients and communities.”
Jefferson has announced several expansions recently. The university is establishing a full-time doctor of nursing practice-nurse anesthesia program and several online graduate programs at the Lehigh Valley Health Network Center for Healthcare Education in Lehigh County. It also is opening a satellite respiratory therapy lab at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest in Allentown.
Delaware officials said medical students will start their classroom instruction at UD and then do their clinical training at offices and health care systems in Kent and Sussex counties, where the shortage of doctors is most acute.
However, ChristianaCare, which has its own partnership with Jefferson, is not participating. The state’s largest health care system was part of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine’s unsuccessful bid to operate the school. In a joint statement from ChristianaCare and PCOM, the two organizations expressed disappointment with not being part of the consortium of higher education institutions and healthcare organizations.
“The path forward raises genuine questions about whether the school’s goals can be fully realized without ChristianaCare’s meaningful participation in its clinical training mission,” it said. “The success of any four-year medical program depends not just on an academic institution, but on a true and committed partnership with its clinical partners — one built on shared mission, mutual investment and trust developed over time.”
Students in the first class can get their tuition subsidized, covering all of their education costs, in exchange for an agreement to work in rural Delaware for five years.
Running the medical school is expected to cost Jefferson $78 million over the next five years. The money is from a federal rural health grant through the Rural Health Transformation Program, which congressional Republicans created in the so-called “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act.”
The program will give $50 billion to every state over five years, though exactly the total each will eventually receive is unclear. Half of the money is to be distributed equally to states and the other half is awarded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services based on a variety of factors.
The state applied for $1 billion late last year to improve health care in Kent and Sussex counties. The Trump administration has so far allocated Delaware $157 million. Delaware is expected to receive at least $500 million over the life of the fund.
-
Los Angeles, Ca42 minutes agoPolice investigate deadly stabbing in Tarzana; suspect in custody
-
Detroit, MI1 hour agoDetroit Tigers sweep Tampa Bay Rays in win as Dillon Dingler stays hot
-
San Francisco, CA1 hour agoRetired San Francisco firefighter dies from lung cancer after Blue Shield denies treatment claims
-
Dallas, TX1 hour agoTrackdown: Dallas 7-Eleven robbery suspect wanted
-
Miami, FL1 hour agoThis new Italian restaurant in Brickell only has 10 items on the menu
-
Boston, MA1 hour agoVisiting Boston this summer? Here are 8 navigation tips you need to know.
-
Denver, CO2 hours agoDenver-ish Central Market? RiNo food hall vendors claim they’ve been pushed out
-
Seattle, WA2 hours agoNew Ben & Jerry’s location opening at Seattle waterfront’s Pier 54
