Almost 30 illegal aliens were provided medical treatment by Yuma Sector Border Patrol agents and Yuma Regional Medical Center staff during the weekend.
Among those who received care in Arizona were Mexican nationals who were shot in Mexico or became ill as a result of drug abuse south of the border.
While countless law-abiding American citizens grapple with access to and the high cost of health care, a 21-year-old Mexican national received medical attention after informing Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents that he had sustained a gunshot wound to his right foot two weeks ago while in Mexico.
According to CBP, the man stated that at the time of the shooting he and a friend had been drinking and using narcotics. The two men got into an argument, and his friend subsequently pulled out a fireman shot him in the foot. The illegal alien was transported to the Yuma Regional Medical Center for care.
On January 12, a 53-year-old Mexican national asked CPB agents for medical treatment related to drug use. After the man was transported to the Yuma Regional Medical Center methamphetamine was discovered in his system, according to CPB.
The man had apparently suffered a heart attack sometime during the previous 24 hours due to drug use which took place in Mexico.
On the same day, medical staff at the CBP informed agents that a two-year-old in the company of her mother had a possible fracture to her left arm. CBP reports that upon questioning the mother, agents learned that the toddler fell out of a moving vehicle while in Mexico eight days prior to their illegal entry.
The girl was transported to the Yuma Regional Medical Center for care. It is not known if the mother was charged with child abuse or neglect.
On January 11, an 11-year-old Guatemalan juvenile traveling with his father informed the Yuma CBP Central Processing Center medical staff that he had an open flesh wound on his right ankle that was causing him pain. The boy was transported to the Yuma Regional Medical Center where he was diagnosed with cellulitis and given medication.
According to CBP, on January 13, a 17-year-old unaccompanied alien child from Honduras notified agents and medical staff that he had been sexually assaulted after entering Mexico from Guatemala. The juvenile provided paperwork from the Mexican government that documented an assault which allegedly took place on November 3, 2018. The juvenile was transported to Yuma Regional Medical Center for an evaluation.
From the U.S. Census Bureau:
• In 2017, 8.8 percent of people, or 28.5 million, did not have health insurance at any point during the year as measured by the CPS ASEC. The uninsured rate and number of uninsured in 2017 were not statistically different from 2016 (8.8 percent or 28.1 million).
• The percentage of people with health insurance coverage for all or part of 2017 was 91.2 percent, not statistically different from the rate in 2016 (91.2 percent). Between 2016 and 2017, the number of people with health insurance coverage increased by 2.3 million, up to 294.6 million.
• In 2017, private health insurance coverage continued to be more prevalent than government coverage, at 67.2 percent and 37.7 percent, respectively. Of the subtypes of health insurance coverage, employer-based insurance was the most common, covering 56.0 percent of the population for some or all of the calendar year, followed by Medicaid (19.3 percent), Medicare (17.2 percent), direct-purchase coverage (16.0 percent), and military coverage (4.8 percent).
• Between 2016 and 2017, the rate of Medicare coverage increased by 0.6 percentage points to cover 17.2 percent of people for part or all of 2017 (up from 16.7 percent in 2016).
• The military coverage rate increased by 0.2 percentage points to 4.8 percent during this time. Coverage rates for employment-based coverage, direct-purchase coverage, and Medicaid did not statistically change between 2016 and 2017.
• In 2017, the percentage of uninsured children under age 19 (5.4 percent) was not statistically different from the percentage in 2016.
• For children under age 19 in poverty, the uninsured rate (7.8 percent) was higher than for children not in poverty (4.9 percent).
• Between 2016 and 2017, the uninsured rate did not statistically change for any race or Hispanic origin group.
• In 2017, non-Hispanic Whites had the lowest uninsured rate among race and Hispanic-origin groups (6.3 percent). The uninsured rates for Blacks and Asians were 10.6 percent and 7.3 percent, respectively. Hispanics had the highest uninsured rate (16.1 percent).
The ADI reported on Monday, that a migrant group of more than 400 people crossed into the United States through the Yuma Sector at a point east of San Luis, Arizona.
Related article: Largest Group Of Illegal Aliens Enters Yuma Sector