When illegal immigrants crash - taxpayers usually foot the bill

Since 05-09-06

Lorraine Rivera Reports

May 8, 2006

http://kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=4868358&nav=HMO6

Within the last month, close to three dozen illegal immigrants have been injured or killed in three Southern Arizona accidents.

The first happened April 19 near Elgin in Santa Cruz County, the second on April 30 near Tangerine Road and Interstate 10 and on May 3 at Interstate 19 and Pima Mine Road.

Often, hospitals foot the bill to care for illegal immigrants injured here in the U.S.

Those costs are then passed on to the taxpayers.

Smugglers use older vehicles, cramming as many people as possible inside and taking extreme measures to get their cargo across the border.

In the last month, three separate accidents have occurred, one of them killing four illegal immigrants.

Agent Sean King of the Tucson Sector of the Border Patrol says, “Smugglers [are] taking action that they shouldn't be taking because they want to earn as much money possible and they earn their money by getting their illegal cargo to Phoenix or Tucson so that they can get paid.”

According to the Border Patrol, vehicle wrecks are frequent with the victims needing medical attention.

“Paramedics are the ones who decide which hospital they go to and, in a large accident where there's a lot of people, it could be spread out to a bunch of hospitals in the area, depending on the need, what the hospital can help them with.”

Among them, the only trauma center in Southern Arizona, and weeks after one of the recent accidents illegal immigrants are still being treated at Tucson's University Medical Center.

“It has a negative impact on our bottom line. First, our priority is taking care of the people that are injured and making sure that they get the proper care, but the reality is that there is no direct reimbursement for that,” said Kevin Burn, Chief Financial Officer for UMC.

Two months ago, UMC received $500,000 of your tax money from the federal government as payment, but it’s not enough.

According to Burns, “At the current run rate we'll incur 5-to-6 million dollars in unreimbursed costs for taking care of foreign nationals.”