Posted on 08/14/2004 7:31:39 AM PDT by Dubya
FORT WORTH - JPS Health Network officials spent part of Friday tying up about 3,000 loose ends left a day earlier when the network's board of trustees reversed its policy on nonemergency care for illegal immigrants.
Late Friday afternoon, the JPS spokeswoman sent an e-mail statement that the system's clinics will continue to treat illegal immigrants already enrolled in JPS Connection, Tarrant County's system of taxpayer-supported, nonemergency health care.
But new applications from illegal immigrants will be refused, spokeswoman Drenda Witt wrote.
No administrators involved in the decision were available to answer questions Friday, Witt said.
In January, trustees opened JPS Connection to illegal immigrants. More than 3,000 were accepted into the program. On Thursday, however, trustees voted 6-4 to reverse the policy.
Those in favor of the change said they could not justify spending money on illegal residents when the network turns away legal residents who are poor but do not qualify as indigent.
Recently, trustees have opposed raising taxes to pay for expanded health care services.
On Friday, Witt said illegal immigrants approved for JPS Connection may receive services until their eligibility period expires. "Eligibility typically runs three to 12 months," she said.
JPS treats everyone, regardless of immigration status, who can pay their bills, she said.
The trustees' decision Thursday will drive up health care costs for everyone, said Ralph McCloud, Fort Worth's mayor pro tem and director of pastoral and community services for the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth.
"I think we put ourselves at risk and real danger when we decide for folks what they want to fund," he said. "The reality of the indigent affects all of us."
The Rev. Stephen Jasso, pastor of All Saints Roman Catholic Church in Fort Worth, said he will pray for those who are sick and for those who made the decision to shut down that avenue of care.
"It's a very sad situation for these people," he said. "We were hoping they would continue to keep this door open -- we were praying -- because we know it's more expensive to treat emergencies than offer preventive health care.
"We know there's a lot of money involved, but [caring for immigrants] is not spending, it's investing in the health of these wonderful people who are doing a lot of the jobs other people are not doing."
How they voted
JPS Health Network trustees who voted to drop illegal immigrants from the network's preventive care program are Harold Samuels, chairman; Erma C. Johnson Hadley, vice chairwoman; Ronald Patterson, secretary; and Trustees Neal Adams, Dr. Justin Bartos and Ronnie W. Coulson. Trustees Monte Elliott, Steve Montgomery, Dr. Bernard Rubin and Martha Walker voted to continue to allow illegal immigrants in the system. Trustee Dan Serna left the meeting before the vote. Mitch Mitchell, (817) 390-7420 mitchmitchell@star-telegram.com
McALLEN
3 men face charges in harboring immigrants
Three Mexican men have been charged with harboring about 64 illegal immigrants in a 1,000-square-foot house that lacked air conditioning for at least eight days.
U.S. Border Patrol agents acting on a tip Aug. 6 found the men in the house in Mission.
"We got the call; our agents went over there. There was some -- probably guards -- posted outside, who saw our agents and scrambled," Border Patrol spokesman Eddie Flores said.
Eduardo Diaz Espino, 39, told the agents he was part of a large Matamoros-based human smuggling ring called Teran. Melquiades Flores Mena, 41, and Rigoberto Vasquez Echavarria, 24, were believed to be responsible for bringing food and water to the men in the house.
The three suspects had an initial appearance Thursday in federal court. They are being detained without bail because they are in the United States illegally.
HOUSTON
Task force will target human traffickers
Local, state and federal law enforcement officials hope creation of a task force can stop human trafficking organizations and help victims, who are held captive and often forced into prostitution or manual labor.
The task force, announced Friday, is the first of its kind in Texas.
The Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance will coordinate policing and prosecution efforts that target human trafficking in South Texas and along the Gulf Coast.
The task force includes such agencies as the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the FBI, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Harris County district attorney's office.
"There's never been a way where we've had coordinated training of law enforcement of all these [agencies] to figure out how do you identify people who are being victimized in this way," said U.S. Attorney Michael Shelby.
He said about 16,000 people are brought into the United States against their will each year by trafficking organizations.
Compiled from staff and wire reports
Does your church check passports at the door?
There are plenty of Americans willing to mow lawns and wash cars. But they're a little more expensive than the Mexicans, so the liberal elites don't really want anything restricting Mexican immigration. They want their cheap Mexican nannies. Mexicans are not competing for THEIR jobs
No, I think he would deny medical treatment to those who suck the life out of the indigent medical programs available for those less fortunate people who are legal citizens of this country. After all, the illegals can go to their own country for their medical care.
U.S. doesn't stand for Unlimited Services for those who break the law.
"Cheap" lettuce isn't so cheap after all.
Plain and simple, "Citizens", who are registered Americans signed up and paying Social Security Taxes and are on the Income Tax rolls paying their fair share of taxes to support the system come first; for the un-educated or the wilfully politically ignorant out there, Criminal Illegal Aliens don't figure in to the American scene, not now and not never until they establish a Permanent address in the country and begin to support the infrastructure. Then we can all share and share alike and hold hands and sing "Cum BYA Yaa" till the cows come in, knowing we are all one big happy "CONTRIBUTING" family minus the palm up leeches and cockroaches who are attacking and stealing our Birthright!
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