Immigrants facing Deportation by U.S. hospitals

Luis Alberto Jimenez is from Guatemala. He has the coherence and thought process of a fourth grader and has been in this state since a horrific car accident that left himself and the driver mangled, and the other passengers dead. He emigrated to the United States illegally, and had neither received his papers nor initiated an insurance policy. After regaining consciousness one year, two months, and fifteen days after his accident, he was soon sent back to Guatemala because he lacked the necessary papers. This story might not seem uncommon. Many illegals seeking medical attention are often deported for lack of the necessary paperwork. It is unfortunate that this happens. This case particularly makes me angry. Jimenez was hit by a drunk driver. Not just any drunk driver, but a drunk driver with 14 prior arrests. I once considered the United States to be the land of opportunity. It promised a land of equality, where people could carve their own niche. I can't understand how a land of opportunity makes it so difficult on the less fortunate who emigrate to try to create a better life for their families. My father is an Hispanic immigrant. I share an ancestry with the thousands of spics and beaners who come to America and "take our jobs and fill our hospitals". I have met numerous illegal immigrants, and former illegal immigrants who work harder than your average American. They don't necessarily do more work physically, but they have to work each and every day against the obstacles set against them by the land of opportunity. The United States of America once stole Montana, Texas, California, and other states from Mexico, and now it is stealing their future in a land that was once theirs. I think that the USA should work to promote border relations, and help those in need by giving them equal opportunity in the so called land of opportunity.

Immigrants facing deportation by U.S. hospitals

written by Deborah Sontag

The New York Times

August 3, 2008 edition