Bill requiring hospitals to do immigration check defeated in House

Published: 2004-05-19

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- A bill that would have required hospitals to report illegal immigrant patients to the federal government was soundly defeated by the House May 18 in a 331-88 vote. The bill, H.R. 3722, would have required hospitals to ask patients about their immigration status, take fingerprints or photographs and report those who might be in the country illegally to federal authorities for possible deportation. It also would have required hospitals to bill employers of illegal immigrant for their medical expenses. The requirements would have applied to hospitals that hoped to be reimbursed by the federal government for the unpaid costs of treating uninsured illegal immigrants. The proposal was criticized by a number of immigrant advocacy groups, business owners and hospital organizations, including the Catholic Health Association. They said it would turn hospital employees into de facto Border Patrol agents, while also risking public health because illegal immigrants would be afraid to seek medical treatment.

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