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A federal judge in North Dakota has temporarily blocked the Biden administration’s effort to allow DACA recipients—immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children—to sign up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act’s marketplace. The ruling affects “Dreamers” in 19 states where Republican attorneys general filed a lawsuit, arguing the new rule encouraged illegal immigration and added costs for states. An estimated 150,000 people were eligible for coverage under the rule.

Immigration advocates condemned the decision.

Nicholas Espíritu, deputy legal director of the National Immigration Law Center (NILC), issued the following statement in response to Judge Daniel M. Traynor of the U.S. District Court in North Dakota’s order blocking DACA recipients and other eligible individuals’ access to the Affordable Care Act.  The preliminary injunction covers the 19 states that challenged the Biden administration’s Final Rule.

“Judge Traynor’s ruling is both disappointing and wrong on the law. While we study the court’s ruling to evaluate the next steps in this case, we will continue to fight on behalf of our clients and hundreds of thousands of DACA recipients who have been waiting over a decade to access life-sustaining care under the Affordable Care Act.”