“Penis Amputation”—The Ultimate Immigration Enthusiast Argument
When the
other side uses the “penis amputation” argument
against immigration reform patriots, we can safely say that
they`ve pulled out all the stops.
And that`s exactly what
60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley did in his May 11th
segment “Illegal
Immigrants Don`t Survive Detention in America”.
Pelley was subtler than to overtly advocate for immigrants or
for more immigration. And, of course, he didn`t suggest that all
detained immigrants are subject to having their genitals removed
as a direct result of negligent medical treatment.
But the gist of Pelley`s story, once again paints the U.S. as
the bad guys—cold, insensitive and inept— in the immigration
crisis.
Pelley has been joined by a
Washington Post investigation by Post reporters
Dana Priest and
Amy Goldstein . All allege that “immigrants”—as they
refer to them—detained by Immigration and Customs Service and
housed by the Department of Immigration Health Services are the
victims of such shoddy, slipshod health care that many have died
as a result.
Read Priest`s and Goldstein`s series of Post stories,
each following the tried and true
sob story formula outlined by VDARE.COM`s
Brenda Walker,
here. See its estimate of “questionable deaths” from
March 2003 to March 2008
here.
In one egregious case, Salvadoran illegal alien and convicted
drug dealer Francisco Castaneda died from
cancer, untreated during his detention, shortly after having
his penis amputated by a private, outside physician.
Interspersed throughout Pelley`s segment are videotapes of
weeping relatives.
Also included are two cutaways to a video of Castaneda on his
deathbed.
CBS`s weekly news magazine
60 Minutes has been a
frequent target of
VDARE.COM`s for its failure to report fairly on both sides
of its immigration related pieces.
This is disappointing because, once upon a time, 60
Minutes did a pretty good job.
Fifteen years ago, correspondent
Leslie Stahl exposed the H-1B visa racket in tones that
should have—but did not— set off alarm bells throughout
Congress. My column about it is
here; the complete transcript
here.
Stahl actually mocked the idea that anyone in the U.S. on
six-year H1-B visa could be called, as Silicon Valley executives
did, a “temporary worker“.
Another CBS correspondent,
Morley Safer, did a segment several years ago about how the
arrival of thousands of
Hmongs in Wausau, WI had jolted the town`s ethnic balance,
brought gang violence, and created a layer of poor, welfare
dependent people previously unknown in the small town.
Safer based his report on a 1994 Atlantic Monthly
article titled
The Ordeal of Immigration in Wausau and written by
Roy Beck, NumbersUSA executive director.
But that was then and this is now.
Now 60 Minutes has fallen victim to acute
political correctness in its immigration coverage. And in so
doing, it suppresses significant facts that its viewers are
entitled to.
During his piece, Pelley referenced four cases, all having
different circumstances but all including the common denominator
that the main characters were detained by ICE and spent time
under DHIS medical care…although “care” is not how CBS
describes it.
In fact, “treated like an animal” was what I heard.
Three detainees (Castaneda, Juan Guevara and Haitian Joseph
Dantica) died; the third (Somali Amina Mudey) received,
according to her lawyer Ann Schofield Baker (e-mail),
horribly inadequate care.
Looking at the three most detailed cases, they are:
Immediately upon his arrival in New York Dantica, 81, applied
for political asylum.
During his asylum hearing, according to Pelley, Dantica
became “violently ill” and collapsed. According to
CBS`s version, a DIHS physician`s assistant “failed to
recognize that Dantica was in serious trouble”.
Dantica died within a day and a half.
Pelley, for dramatic effect, asked Dantica`s niece Edwidge
Danticat (“a prize winning author”) to “help him
understand” what the medical assistant`s evaluation was.
With the camera focused close up on her tear-filled eyes,
Danticat said: “It appeared that he said, `I, you
know, he`s — I think he`s faking.` Or something to that
effect.” (emphasis added.)
Pelley: “The medical examiner said it was pancreatitis.”
Danticat`s comments fall far short of an overwhelming
indictment. Taken at face value, they`re pretty lame: “It
appeared…something to that effect….”
What CBS omitted:
- If Dantica, 81-years-old, was stricken
with
pancreatitis—and CBS offers no evidence that he
was misdiagnosed—then malpractice did not lead to his death.
Medical experts consider
pancreatitis to be as life-threatening as a massive
heart attack or many forms of cancer.
- Dantica entered the U.S. under false
pretenses. He most certainly arrived from Haiti via a
tourist visa but with the express intent of claiming asylum.
Note that he filed only days after landing. And Dantica also
likely withheld the information that his niece lives in
Miami, thus making it much easier for him to overstay.
Lying or misrepresenting facts to a consular official to
obtain a visa is not a crime, although it “should be”
according to what David Seminara told me. (Seminara is the
author of the
Center for Immigration Studies backgrounder
“No Coyote Needed: U.S. Visas Still an Easy Ticket in Developing
Countries”)
- Second, Mudey, a Somali who upon her
2004 arrival in the U.S. immediately requested political
asylum. Mudley is now “studying computers and English”…but
I note that four years later she still needs a translator.
Mudey`s lawyer, Schofield Baker, admitted that at the time of
her detention her client “… was disoriented…petrified…”
and “…collapsed and had a panic attack.” (In another
CBS interview, Schofield Baker presents her side of Mudey`s
case. Watch it
here.)
DIHS, concluding that Mudey was psychotic, prescribed
Risperdal.
In her statement, Schofield Baker said that the: “Medical
treatment that Amina received was absolutely deplorable,
substandard, sanctionable and flat-out malpractice.”
But even Pelley didn`t bite on that one as he quickly noted
that Schofield Baker`s charge is an “alleged misdiagnosis.”
Omitted:
- That Mudey`s symptoms—disorientation
and panic attacks—are consistent with psychotic behavior and
prescribing Risperdal is not unusual.
- Plus, of course, any discussion of the
improbable circumstances surrounding Mudey`s arrival in
America.
Since the U.S. does not maintain an operational embassy and
consular section in
Somalia, that creates the possibility that Mudey filed for
her visa in a neighboring country. Mudey may have misrepresented
herself and the facts of her case either in Africa, here upon
her arrival or in both places.
Like Dantica, Mudey who “immediately requested political
asylum,” had no intention of going home.
- Third, Castaneda`s case wherein,
according to Pelley, DIHS recently admitted in a federal
court to medical negligence.
Here are the details.
While detained, Castaneda`s physician`s assistant recommended
that a urologist be called in to perform a biopsy to check for
cancer. Those requests were denied. Finally, when Castaneda was
released several months later, he sought treatment on his own.
But to no avail—Castaneda`s cancer had spread and his genital
amputation did not save his life.
What CBS, the Post reporters and the
immigration lawyers conclude—pointing to Dantica, Mudey and
Castaneda as examples—is that DIHS is a snake pit of inefficient
doctors and medical assistants,
understaffed by half and incapable of providing decent care
to anyone in their charge.
“Immigrants”, the suggestion goes, are made vulnerable
simply because they are immigrants.
Buried at the story`s end, after the alarming “penis
amputation” reference and videotaped statements of sobbing
relatives, are these two defenses offered by ICE and DIHS.
Please note that neither CBS nor the interviewed
lawyers challenged the facts presented in either response.
- A letter from ICE that states: "The
number of deaths per 100,000 is dramatically lower for ICE
detainees than for US prison and jail populations. The
nation as a whole is experiencing severe shortages in
qualified health professionals."
- A Congressional statement by Gary
Mead, a senior immigration official, that:
“ICE provides for and that DIHS
completed over 500,000 medical visits for the detainees in
our custody. Many of our detainees receive almost daily
attention, so it`s an aggressive program, and we do
everything possible to maintain the best quality of life for
the detainees in our custody.
What CBS did not include was this portion of
another statement issued by ICE in response to questions
regarding detainee deaths:
“When a detainee is hospitalized,
the hospital assumes medical decision-making authority,
including the patient`s drug regimen, lab tests, X-rays and
treatments. If a detainee passes away while in ICE custody, it
is our policy to immediately notify the next of kin or the
consulate of the respective country. In addition, ICE`s Office
of Professional Responsibility reviews the circumstances
surrounding the death of a detainee and determines if further
investigation is warranted.
The Office of Professional
Responsibility also informs the inspector general of Homeland
Security of all detainee deaths, regardless of reason. The
Office of Professional Responsibility determines whether the
death necessitates investigation and coordinates appropriately
with the inspector general. ICE also must notify state officials
(coroner, for example).”
And Pelley added reluctantly: “In the case of Reverend
Dantica, a government inspector general`s report said that there
was `no evidence of mistreatment or malfeasance`”
In his conclusion, Pelley (perhaps thinking of us), said to
Castaneda`s lawyer,
Conal Doyle (e-mail
him):
“You know that there are people
watching this interview who are saying to themselves, `Castaneda
was an illegal immigrant. He had a drug conviction. The people
of the United States
owed him nothing.`”
Readers will have a variety of thoughts about what
our obligations are. I`ll leave you to your conscience (and
common sense).
But no matter whether in the end
you favor paying for Castaneda`s treatment or not, you don`t
need to apologize to Pelley or anyone else for having doubts as
to whether American generosity should extend to an illegal alien
and
convicted drug dealer.
Naturally, CBS and the Post reach all the wrong
conclusions.
If they had their way, the U.S would build more
facilities (state of the art, of course), hire more
doctors and nurses and give more comprehensive and
unlimited care.
If they could figure out some way to make it freer,
then they would endorse that idea, too.
But the real solution is so obvious it`s amazing that even
the
strongest pro-immigration advocates won`t own up to it.
What we need is fewer visas, stricter policies
on asylum and refugee claims fewer loopholes, stronger
laws, and more enforcement.
Try that for a change. And watch the problems go away.
I`ll close with two thoughts, one serious, and the other one
less so.
First, “penis” is a
favorite word of lawyers, daytime television hosts or anyone
else, like Pelley, looking for shock value. For reasons not
entirely clear to me, it generates a more dramatic effect than
the comparatively boring and more clinical “genitals“.
For sure Pelley, wanting to heighten the impact of his story,
made a conscious decision to use the “p” word instead of
any other.
Second, and my more important point, the random quality of
health care is not limited to detained immigrants.
I myself was a victimized by poor medical judgment.
Although
my illness of a year ago was correctly diagnosed as
pancreatitis—and believe me, it`s a killer—the treatment I
originally received was inadequate.
As a consequence, my condition rapidly deteriorated. Luckily,
it was caught in time but not before I underwent several major
surgeries.
I`m offended then when I watch a finger-pointing show like
60 Minutes with
its thinly-veiled implication that immigrants are purposely
denied good medical care.
After this stinker, CBS owes us a story told in the
style it used back when.
Here`s a good topic that CBS did the research on when
it put together last week`s show: How
providing health care to illegal aliens has driven many
border hospitals to close and made insurance premiums
unaffordable for
middle class Americans.
As my doctor told me:
“You pay more because they pay nothing.”
Joe Guzzardi [e-mail
him] is the Editor of VDARE.COM Letters to the Editor.
In addition, he is an English teacher at the Lodi Adult School and has
been writing
a weekly newspaper column since 1988. This column is exclusive
to
VDARE.COM.
