Texans don't have EMS services because of demand from illegal immigrants, border sheriff tells Congress | Washington Examiner
By: anna-giaritelli (Washington Examiner)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Distress calls and discoveries of dead immigrants in a rural area 50 miles north of the state's border with Mexico have crippled first responders' ability to serve residents and hurt the local government's budget.
Sheriff Urbino "Benny" Martinez of Brooks County is prepared to tell Congress that the county's 7,400 residents have been negatively affected by the influx of illegal immigration at the southern border because resources have been directed toward rescuing immigrants and not helping townspeople in urgent need.
"Brooks County emergency services are greatly impacted. Ambulances are being pulled from day-to-day operations to answer calls in remote areas where turnaround time is roughly four to five hours, leaving our constituents without emergency medical services," Martinez will tell lawmakers on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce during a hearing in Weslaco, Texas, Wednesday, according to prepared testimony. "This has put a strain on the local health system."
In 2022, Brooks County EMS services responded to 115 calls from illegal immigrants. In three of those incidents, the immigrants died while being transported to a regional hospital.
Far more immigrants have died attempting to sneak through the heavy brush and walk farther into the United States. In many cases, immigrants being transported by vehicle after making it across the border on foot and picked up by smugglers are dropped off on the side of the road and told to walk miles around Border Patrol's highway checkpoint in Falfurrias.
That trek can become deadly if injured, lost, or without cell service, food, and water.
"Since 2009, the county has recovered 929 bodies of undocumented crossers, that includes 119 in 2021 and 90 in 2022," according to a copy of the opening remarks that Martinez will deliver Wednesday evening. "We estimate that we recover less than half of all those who perish."
The county has also had to cover costs involved in recovering immigrants, which total nearly $1 million over the past 14 years, he said.
In another instance in which an immigrant was transported by a medical helicopter, the county was only reimbursed $45,000 for a $320,000 bill for care, according to Martinez. The two hospitals in the remote area have had to write off costs for services provided to illegal immigrants.
More than 36,000 acres of land have been burned as a result of fires in Brooks County, according to Martinez, though he did not specify the time period in which the fires happened.
The House hearing on Wednesday is the first that Republicans have held since they promised to hold committee meetings outside Washington in an attempt to force Democrats to see the state of the border, where record-high illegal immigrant apprehensions over the past two years have had serious ramifications for border residents.
Officials from a healthcare organization, the Border Patrol union, and a Texas civil rights organization will join Martinez as witnesses at the hearing Wednesday.
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Trolling, taunting, spamming, and off topic comments may be removed at the discretion of group mods. NT members that vote up their own comments, repeat comments, or continue to disrupt the conversation risk having all of their comments deleted. Please remember to quote the person(s) to whom you are replying to preserve continuity of this seed.
Biden border policy at work.
Considering conservatives here say Biden/Dems are running an OPEN and unsecured border and I'm reading online that immigration advocates are saying Biden has kept almost all of Trump's policies, perhaps you could link to the actual policy so we can discuss it rationally and logically?
I don't think you're reading online that Biden has "kept almost all of Trump's policies" Care to provide a source or link.
Anyone who thinks Biden has managed this influx of migrants effectively and humanely is crazy.
And you think this situation is acceptable?
You need to go back and read the EO's that were signed on Biden's 1st day in office.
I asked first. I'll provide links when others do.
Okay? That doesn't answer my question, but I didn't actually expect you to so you didn't disappoint.
Look, I'm not here to defend Biden on this bullshit (it's fucked up) - what I want is a discussion that's more than partisan rant. Would it be so hard to have an actual discussion? If not I'll see myself out.
It answers it. Maybe not the way you want it answered but, it's answered.
I asked for a link to policy not a non-comment on EOs, but if you want to talk about EOs then you should link what you want to talk about. Since you don't seem serious, I have better things to do.
You never ask me for a link. I see where somebody ask YOU for a link (that you've yet to produce). I merely pointed out where you can read and find out your claim that "Biden has kept almost all of Trump's policies" if false.
The first thing you need to define before any discussion is what you consider "immigration". Are you focusing on LEGAL or ILLEGAL immigration? It is only after you provide those parameters that anyone will be able to " rationally and logically" discuss your 2.1 claim.
Hmmm... @2.1 I said:
That shouldn't be that difficult for anyone to parse the request.
You've made it very evident you don't want a conversation. So be it.
I didn't write the article, nor did I originate the assertion it's all because of Biden's policies. In a less direct way I was asking the seeder to define the conversation since he made the claim. Once we establish that I'll be back. Until then I seem to wasting my time.
So you don't know how to use google or pay attention to what's going on. That sounds like a YOU problem. I told you where to find it. How you find it is up to you.
As soon as you are done pathetically trying to blame the previous administration for something the current adminstration has done we can have that conversation.
The Citizens paying their taxes are being cheated out of the services.they paid for. Ambulances being wore out for illegals.
Not only ambulances (EMTs), but other freebies for illegals ... Police, Fire, Hospitals, surgeries, OB/GYN, Prescriptions, Public Schools (pre-K through 12+), Legal Aid, Housing (free rent, heat, A/C, water bills) , Food, clothing, transportation, entertainment.
US Citizens and LEGAL immigrants whose incomes are only $50K/year and even less would love so many freebies!
Seems to me that you should be able to fly a helicopter for a few hours for $45,000. Maybe the county is being ripped off.