Illegal Immigrants Cost U.S. Taxpayers$24 Billion Every Year
Free Kidney Dialysis for Illegal Mexican Immigrants?
June 19, 2002
This is a partial transcript from The O'Reilly Factor, June 18, 2002.
BILL O'REILLY, HOST: In the Unresolved Problems segment tonight, it is estimated by Rice University that undocumented aliens cost U.S. taxpayers $24 billion every year. And in Arizona, a federal judge has just added to that.
Right now, about 175 illegals in Arizona are getting free kidney dialysis treatments, but they were supposed to end on June 30. However, Judge William Browning has extended the benefits for five illegals who are very ill.
Joining us now from Tucson is Tom Berning, an attorney representing the five illegals, and litigation director of the William E. Morris Institute for Justice. Counselor Berning supports the judge's ruling, obviously.
Now, counselor, I would say, all right, look, we know they're very sick, we don't want to kill them, we have an obligation to keep them alive. But there is dialysis treatment in Mexico, why not send them back there for the treatment?
TOM BERNING, WILLIAM E. MORRIS INSTITUTE FOR JUSTICE: Well, Bill, first, many of them wouldn't be eligible to receive treatment in Mexico, and more importantly from our perspective, they live here...
O'REILLY: Yes, but they're not here legally. I mean, they may live here, but when you find some...
BERNING: Well, that...
O'REILLY: When you find somebody living here illegally, you're supposed to send them back to where they belong.
BERNING: Well, (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
O'REILLY: What do you mean, they wouldn't...
BERNING: ... some...
O'REILLY: What do you mean they...
BERNING: That's a...
O'REILLY: ... wouldn't qualify in Mexico for the dialysis treatment?
BERNING: Well, you have to live in a certain state in Mexico for a certain length of time. But, Bill, most of them are actually not here illegally, they're just not qualified to receive the benefits. That's because even if you are here legally, you still have a five-year bar between the time you got here legally and the time you're eligible for a variety of federal benefits.
O'REILLY: All right, but I understand that, but they don't have green cards. They're not carrying green cards, the people in question, because if they were, they wouldn't be in this category.
Now...
BERNING: Well, that's not true, that's not true.
O'REILLY: All right, your clients have green cards in this, in this case?
BERNING: I have — I do have one client that is a legal resident alien.
O'REILLY: All right, so one out of the four. And the other four are — we'll talk about the other four. You believe that the American taxpayer should pay for at a tune of $30,000 a year, each of these four who snuck into the country of their own free will, and now they're sick, and we should pay for it?
BERNING: Well, we actually saved the taxpayer quite a bit of money.
O'REILLY: How so?
BERNING: Because even the state admits that if they get sick enough, they'll treat them in the emergency room where the cost will be up to four or five times the amount if they get it on an outpatient basis. So we probably save $100,000 per year per these folks by going to (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
O'REILLY: So it's cost efficient to give them the dialysis treatment, rather than having them in the emergency rooms, whereas everybody know if you go, they have to be treated.
BERNING: Well, that's definitely true.
O'REILLY: But, look, you know what I'm talking about, counselor. It doesn't seem right that the U.S. taxpayers should pick up $24 billion for people who sneak into the country illegally for their health costs. It just doesn't seem right.
BERNING: Well, one, you know, the lawsuit's not about right. It's about what is the law.
O'REILLY: Ah, very good.
BERNING: More importantly for us, these folks have been here for a period of time. They've been contributing. They've been paying taxes and they haven't been getting any benefit out of it.
O'REILLY: Well, look, I mean they haven't been getting any benefit because they didn't get here legally. But I still don't understand — you send them back to Mexico, and you're saying the Mexicans are going to let them die if you send them back there?
BERNING: Well, that's possible. Although another misconception of the 170 people you spoke about, not all of them are from Mexico. A number of them are from eastern Europe or other countries.
O'REILLY: Hey, I'll send them back to wherever they are, if they're out here illegally.
I want to quote this new bill in Congress that people may not be aware of it. Senator Jeff Bingaman from New Mexico, a Democrat, and John McCain, a Republican from Arizona, are asking for increased Medicare funds, and believe the federal government ought to bear the expense of providing care to undocumented workers because the government failed to enforce immigration laws by keeping them out of the country in the first place.
So Bingaman and McCain are saying, and I want to know if you agree with this, counselor, is that because we didn't keep them out, all right, then they got in here illegally, that we're obligated now to pay for their health. Isn't that nuts?
BERNING: Well, I agree with the end result that the federal government should pay. As to the reason for why they articulated it, that's up to them. We're not a politician. We're just lawyers.
O'REILLY: All right. So, counselor, in your opinion as a loyal American citizen, anybody who sneaks into this country illegally, anybody, is entitled to get free medical care, and I've got to pay for it?
BERNING: Well, you know...
O'REILLY: Counselor, that's what it comes down to, man.
BERNING: I don't know if they snuck in here. You know, Tucson, where I'm at...
O'REILLY: Yes.
BERNING: ...used to be part of Mexico.
O'REILLY: That's fine. And I'm glad they're not anymore. I've got to pay for everybody who sneaks in here's medical bills. That's what you're telling me, counselor. Are you sure you don't want to rethink this?
BERNING: Well, you could move to Bermuda.
O'REILLY: Yes, I could. But I'm loyal American and I would love to see fairness imposed on this system.
BERNING: Well, I think...
O'REILLY: But as you said, this law ain't about right. It's about the law. All right, counselor.
BERNING: Well, fairness involves my clients not dying in the next 10 or 15 years.
O'REILLY: Nobody wants them to die. Nobody wants them to die. Counselor, thanks very much we appreciate it.
BERNING: All right, I'm glad we agree.
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