FEDS PROTECT FUNDS, NOT BORDER; PATIENT DUMPING LETS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS BE FREE ON U.S. STREETS.Byline: Jan Goldsmith ON a December evening in a remote area of east Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, near the Mexican border, an illegal immigrant illegal immigrant n. an alien (non-citizen) who has entered the United States without government permission or stayed beyond the termination date of a visa. (See: alien) fell and hurt his ankle as he and a group of illegal immigrants were being chased by U.S. Border Patrol agents. All of the illegal immigrants were apprehended, taken into custody and eventually deported to Mexico - except the injured man. He was detained, but the agents were under strict orders from Washington, D.C., that he was not to be taken into custody. Later, a paramedic par·a·med·ic n. A person who is trained to give emergency medical treatment or assist medical professionals. paramedic would ask about the man's nationality. ``We don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. and cannot ask,'' explained Border Patrol agents. ``He will not be taken into custody because we're not paying for him.'' The patient readily admitted to paramedics his Mexican nationality and that he entered the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. illegally. Yet, after receiving medical attention at a local hospital, he was released. A few days later, the scenario was repeated. This time, a man captured by Border Patrol agents had fallen in Tijuana, but was able to cross the border anyway. When he complained of a lingering pain in his back, agents called paramedics to the scene. After a short hospital stay, he was released to the streets of San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. . Most disturbing, however, was that the man was a drug smuggling smuggling, illegal transport across state or national boundaries of goods or persons liable to customs or to prohibition. Smuggling has been carried on in nearly all nations and has occasionally been adopted as an instrument of national policy, as by Great Britain suspect. These are just two documented examples of a practice that happens daily in Southern California. The practice is called patient dumping, and it has forced California hospitals and taxpayers to provide tens of millions of dollars in uncompensated uncompensated (  n·kômˑ·p medical care to illegal immigrants who were apprehended by the Border Patrol. It works like this: The federal government is responsible for the costs of medical care provided to illegal immigrants in its custody. To avoid paying those costs, Border Patrol agents are under instructions to refuse to detain illegal immigrants who are in need of care. This policy applies even when the person is suspected of criminal conduct. After medical care is provided, the suspect is free to leave the hospital. The policy ensures that the federal government will not bear the cost of medical care, even if it means that illegal immigrants escape deportation and criminals escape prosecution. ``We will not incur an obligation for the government unnecessarily,'' wrote a representative of Attorney General Janet Reno Janet Reno (born July 21, 1938) was the first and to date only female Attorney General of the United States (1993–2001). She was nominated by President Bill Clinton on February 11, 1993, and confirmed on March 11. . Every time an injury occurs during a Border Patrol chase, San Diego-area hospitals provide free care to those injured. The cumulative financial impact of this federal policy threatens the ability of some hospitals to survive. A recent state auditor's report Auditor's Report Recorded in the annual report, the auditor's report tests to see that a corporation's financial statements comply with GAAP. This is sometimes referred to as the clean opinion. Notes: Most auditor's reports consist of three paragraphs. documented up to $8.1 million in costs for San Diego-area hospitals during a 17-month period. ``Our trauma system A Trauma System is an organized and coordinated plan within a region that delivers the full range of care to injured patients. It often consists of a trauma center that provides a higher level of specialty care. External link
By design, this policy allows known illegal immigrants and criminal suspects to escape. During hearings by the Assembly Subcommittee on Border Crime, Geri Lynn Wagner, director of patient care for Sharp HealthCare, testified that federal agents released a drug smuggling suspect from custody after being informed by medical personnel that the suspect required an overnight stay. Four Border Patrol agents testified during the hearings that the patient-dumping policy runs counter to their obligations as law enforcement officers. Agent William Librera testified that the word is getting out that ``illegal immigrants can avoid deportation if they claim an injury.'' ``Border Patrol agents are under orders to ignore violations of the law,'' he said. ``The clear message is the cost to the federal government is more important than detaining illegal aliens.'' This policy is wrong. U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., has called the policy ``completely unacceptable.'' ``Enforcing the border,'' she wrote, ``is the responsibility of the federal government, and the Border Patrol cannot shirk shirk In Islam, idolatry and polytheism, both of which are regarded as heretical. The Qu'ran stresses that God does not share his powers with any partner (sharik) and warns that those who believe in idols will be harshly dealt with on the Day of Judgment. this responsibility simply to avoid paying the medical bills of injured illegal aliens.'' Feinstein's comments echo those contained in a resolution passed unanimously by the California Assembly calling for an end to this irresponsible policy. If Immigration and Naturalization Service Noun 1. Immigration and Naturalization Service - an agency in the Department of Justice that enforces laws and regulations for the admission of foreign-born persons to the United States INS Commissioner Doris Meissner is unwilling to rescind the patient-dumping policy, Congress should do it for her through legislation. People who violate our laws should not be released to our streets simply because they may have been injured while evading law enforcement and Washington doesn't want to pay the bill. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Illegal immigrants enter the United States by scaling the fence along the U.S.-Mexican border near Tijuana, knowing they won't be detained if they get hurt. Associated Press |
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