We Will Not Be Silent: Standing Up After the Loss of HBIA

Illinois Unidos is deeply saddened by the elimination of the Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults (HBIA) program in Illinois. We were honored to stand alongside our allies in this fight, and we extend a heartfelt thank you to the Healthy Illinois Campaign for their leadership and for including us in this vital work.

But the fight is not over. We will continue to organize, advocate, and uplift the voices of the immigrant communities who are most affected.

Below, we share a powerful statement from our Executive Director, Alejandra Ibañez, expressing our collective disappointment, grief, and continued commitment to justice:

My heart is broken.

As a naturalized U.S. citizen and Executive Director of Illinois Unidos, I am devastated by the elimination of Illinois’ Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults (HBIA) program.

My family left Chile in the late 1970s to escape the brutal dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. Like so many immigrant families, we came seeking safety, dignity, and a chance to live. We’ve worked for decades, paid taxes, contributed deeply to this country—and yet, our communities are still denied basic healthcare.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, immigrant workers did not have the luxury to work from home. They showed up—in factories, warehouses, grocery stores, kitchens, hospitals, and fields—to keep our state and our country running. They risked their health, their lives, and those of their families to keep our economy afloat. Many of them got sick. Many of them died.

I have worked side by side with doctors, public health professionals, essential workers, and community leaders. We’ve witnessed firsthand the sacrifice, pain, and resilience of our immigrant communities. And now, after all they’ve given, we deny them access to the healthcare they need to survive.

The loss of HBIA hurts deeply. It’s a moral failure and a policy betrayal. I am grateful to the state legislators who fought until the very end. And to our communities: our fight is not over. We will keep organizing, keep advocating, and keep lifting our voices—because healthcare is a human right, and our immigrant families deserve dignity, care, and justice.