I am deadset against illegal immigration, but I must admit that I feel a sense of shame over the plight of Francisco Pantaleon, who has been in a coma, and set to be deported back to Mexico. He is currently at the University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago. His plight has ignited a dispute over a little-known practice at hospitals—sending medically needy undocumented immigrants back to their countries of origin.
According to the Chicago Tribune, the disagreement revolves around Pantaleon, who arrived in the U.S. 11 years ago and suffered a severe brain hemorrhage in mid-July. A father of two, Pantaleon worked at a carwash and has no health insurance, his sister Socorro said.
The medical center believes there is “little hope for recovery,” according to a statement released Tuesday, and officials arranged for Pantaleon to be transferred to a hospital in Acapulco at UIC’s expense. An official said his immediate family consented to the move.
But Pantaleon’s sister and cousin are protesting that arrangement and have retained lawyers in hopes of preventing it. “This is an injustice,” said his sister, who worries that Pantaleon won’t survive the trip or find adequate care in Mexico.
To be bluntly honest, this dispute touches on two hot-button issues, Immigration and health care. With the exception of pregnant women some children and people in medical emergencies, illegal immigrants generally have no right to health care in the U.S. But access to long-term care—the kind of services Pantaleon appears to need—is not guaranteed even if the patients are U.S. citizens, with the exception of the very poor.
Legally, hospitals are bound to stabilize all patients in an emergency, regardless of their nationality or insurance status. Afterward they are required to arrange to transfer patients to settings where they can receive adequate care, said Doreena Wong, staff attorney for the National Health Law Program. The difficulty is, nursing homes in Chicago usually will not serve undocumented immigrants who don’t have health insurance or any means to pay for care.”We can’t arrange long-term care here, so we try to do the best we can in the country of origin,” said Dr. William Chamberlin, chief medical officer at UIC Medical Center.
Members of Pantaleon’s family appealed to the Mexican Consulate for help last week, said Ioana Navarrete, consul for the protection department.”There were certain legal procedures that the hospital should have followed that they bypassed,” she said, noting that the medical center failed to inform the consulate of plans to move Pantaleon, a Mexican citizen.
I feel for this man, but where do we draw the line with illegal immigration and its implications. I pray that they find a suitable solution for Mr. Pantaleon. If he is sent back to Mexico, then I hope he will be placed in one of the best hospitals there. I am sure the government can work that out. If he is allowed to remain here, then we are setting a precedent that some may find dangerous. The problem is that there are millions of Americans who cannot get proper health care because they have no health insurance and are poor. Shouldn’t we be taking care of our own people first? I can see the position that we have a moral obligation to Mr. Pantaleon, but don’t we owe all Americans the same moral consideration? You be the judge…..
Filed under: Francisco Pantaleon, Illegal Immigration, Mexico
Black Political Thought 