On his ride back to Indiantown from a landscaping job one afternoon nearly a decade ago, Luis Alberto Jimenez’s destiny collided with the front end of a stolen van. The impact killed two passengers in the car he was in and landed the van’s drunken driver, Donald Flewellen, in prison for nearly 10 years on a DUI manslaughter charge.
The crash also left Jimenez, an illegal Guatemalan immigrant, with debilitating injuries and the cognitive ability of a fourth-grader.
Jimenez has become the center of a legal battle between the hospital that flew him back to Guatemala after spending more than $1 million on his care and Jimenez’s family members who say the hospital falsely imprisoned him and deported him so it would no longer have to pay to treat him. The case is at the forefront of national debates on health care and immigration…
Against objections from Montejo (Jimenez’ cousin) and his attorney – after two years – a judge eventually sided with Martin Memorial. Montejo filed an appeal, but less than a day later hospital officials took Jimenez to Guatemala on a chartered jet…
An appeals court in 2004 overturned Judge Fennelly’s decision, saying he had no jurisdiction to authorize the return…
Martin Memorial officials declined last week to comment on the specifics of the case. They said their situation reflects those of hospitals across the country.
“Unfortunately, the cost of providing that care is rising and the burden of paying the health care bill for many undocumented immigrants is falling on hospitals and health systems that simply cannot afford to pay it,” hospital communications director Ronda Wilburn said in an e-mail.
I don’t know of another country that spends so much time feeling guilty over the plight of those who enter the country illegally. Should we just pick up the tab for everything?
Did the hospital take it upon themselves to deport the person or did the hospital just tell immigration services? If the hospital told the government that is one thing but if the hospital staff took it upon themselves to enforce the law, that’s another thing entirely. If they are enforcing immigration laws, what’s next, if I get into an accident and drive myself to the hospital on an expired license will they arrest me?
RTFA!
Find the company who hired him and have them pay the medical bill. This will effectively end the era of illegal workers. Now, how many Americans are willing to take these jobs? Seriously.
I agree…not only should illegals be deported, companies that hire them should be heavily fined.
@#3 “Now, how many Americans are willing to take these jobs? ” Enough for all those jobs to be taken (though at the real wages). I know of construction companies who went out of business because they wouldn’t hire illegals (at illegal wages). I know of landscaping companies in identical situations. Laid off workers and owners are out there unemployed and would compete just if they would have a legally fair competition, never mind if those illegals were actually removed from the scene.
Just to clarify one thing, Martin Memorial Hospital is a HUGE, very profitable organization. Not the quaint little local hospital this old photo would indicated (Yeah, I know the photos are seldome “for real” on this site.)
I do think they, and the people of Martin County, had been unfairly stuck with the responsibility of his care beyond a certain point.
“Should hospitals deport illegal immigrants?”
Hospitals never deport anyone. What are you talking about?
They should be deported. The people that gets forgotten in this whole situation are the LEGAL IMMIGRANTS, like myself. I hate being jumbled in with the people that didn’t EARN the right to be here. Anyway, it sucks that situations like this arise, but if we try to be unbiased, we know what needs to happen. It’s just when emotions get involved, it seems like the country can’t see straight.
The argument about picking up the tab, Eideard, might be debatable, Illegals tend to neglect their own health care,(trust me on that one) resorting to it only on emergencies.
Legal hispanics may make use of the health care system way more.
My point being that their supposed burden to the health care system might be overly compensated or mitigated by their sheer labor input.
http://tinyurl.com/l3n4pe
you all pointing at the immigrant here. illegal or not i doubt anybody here would like to get hit by a drunk. its not his fault. now, what about the guy in the van, he hit the man, and since they said the hospital was taken the bill, i doubt he had INSURANCE, so what about if a drunken illegal had hit a resident? i bet everybody would be pointing out that it was the illegal who was driving, not the one that got hit.
Well I will tell you that Mexico would boot you. Canada would probably treat your basic concerns then send you home. No one behaves the way we do.
Its not the illegal’s fault he got hit but what does that have to do with footing the bill?
#5 – dusanmal
I fully agree with you, but reality is that people are not willing to pay the real price for produce, landscaping, housekeeping etc. People are used to the prices brought to you by modern time slavery.
#11, Jared
INSURANCE, could have pick up the bill.
“Miami immigration attorney Greg Wald.
Wald, who splits his time between South Florida and San Francisco,”
No, hospitals should not deport illegals. They should not treat them at all and call the INS. Why do we, the law-abiding, tax-paying public, have to pay for illegals to be treated?
Probably we should just slice them up and eat their flesh.
I understand it tastes like chicken. Given enough basil, garlic, and onion of course.
there should be a form to fill out, and let everyone vite on this. if you vote that they stay, you have to pay monthly. if you vote that he should be deported, then you don’t have to pay.
simple!
Let’s get a group of native born Americans and sneak into Mexico. Then try to get jobs. And try to get health care. After all that, come back to America and draft legislation similar to their own.
While we’re at it, let’s draft legislation to deport Ballmer to his favorite country, India.
My god, in Ireland he would have been give medical care period. Heartless deportations shouldn’t be the job of any medical establishment. Is there no compassion left in the states?
Government and business had turned a blind eye to illegals because it boosts the bottom line. We the consumers insists on cheap crap. Now who’s going to break the cycle, and God forbid someone has to wait another year to buy a damn cell phone. How much happiness has the crap bought? Take a zoloft and an ativan and head to work another day.
A sad case. Throwing cash at lawyers, won’t make it better.
#20 Yeah Grandpa !!!
Let me get this straight. An *illegal* immigrant was injured and an American hospital spent over a million dollars on his care – and someone sued because they didn’t want to spend still more? Only in America.
#26 Ya but, only in America would it have cost over a million.
What percent of indigent patients are Florida hospitals required to treat?
>how many Americans are willing to take these jobs?
Plenty. Is there a single job category where the majority is held by illegal immigrants?
#29 – MikeN – Is there a single job category where the majority is held by illegal immigrants?
Not sure. But are you willing to harvest melons for less than minimum wage?
Que desea deportar a mí? ¿Por qué?
# 31 Jägermeister said, “Not sure. But are you willing to harvest melons for less than minimum wage?”
No. What’s your point?