- http://www.sacbee.com/2012/01/14/4186979/serious-illness-complicates-deportation.html
- http://www.sacbee.com/2012/01/10/4178856/dialysis-patient-fears-deportation.html
List date(s) this work was published or aired.
Jan. 14, 2012
Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
What should happen when the U.S. wants to deport someone with a life-threatening illness, when deportation could mean death? This story explores the complex and difficult binational questions raised through the case of Ignacio Mesa, a 50-year-old Mexican grandfather who depends on thrice-weekly dialysis treatments to survive. Mesa’s two drug convictions have made the U.S. eager to deport him. Yet Mexico’s public health insurance program covers 275 medical treatments and procedures — and dialysis is not one of them.
Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
No FOI records were required to provide the needed context for this story. I accessed and used various publicly-available documents, including: U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement reports on number of deportations; ICE Director John Morton’s memo on prosecutorial discretion; court records of Mesa’s convictions and time served; a Congressional Budget Office report on taxes paid by immigrants working in the U.S. illegally; and the complete list of medical treatments covered by Mexico’s Seguro Popular public health insurance program. I also used two documents provided by Mesa’s lawyer: the lawyer’s petition to ICE for deportation relief for Mesa, and ICE’s written response to that petition.
Explain types of human sources used.
I spent many hours with Mesa and his family (making use of my fluent Spanish), visiting with them in their home and accompanying them on two excruciating visits to the ICE office, either of which could have ended in deportation. To elucidate the complex medical, ethical, legal, diplomatic and cultural issues in play, I consulted with: Mesa’s doctor at UC Davis (with a HIPAA release); Mesa’s pro bono lawyer; the Mexican Consul in Sacramento; an expert on the Mexican health care system at UC Davis; the ICE spokeswoman; a medical expert from the National Kidney Foundation; and an immigration law expert from the American Bar Association.
Results:
This story touched a nerve with readers, who filled my inbox with emails and wrote letters to the editor. The responses all reflected outrage — some at the U.S. having to foot the medical bill for a convicted felon, some at the inhumanity of Mesa’s likely death in Mexico. One thanked me for the “level of research and thought” put into the story. Among the more balanced responses was this: “Yes, we are a benevolent and humane society, which is good and makes me proud, but there has to be a line drawn somewhere.”
Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
There have been no corrections or challenges to the story’s accuracy. Just a lot of high emotion!
Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
This story was an incredible balancing act. Not only did I have to strive for fairness in portraying the cases for and against Mesa, while also illuminating his humanity, but I had to be mindful in my portrayal of Mexico and what it provides its citizens. Mexico obviously merits some criticism on this front (as I know, having personally lived there), but I had to tell that part of the story in precise, careful facts rather than casting aspersions. Three things were indispensable in achieving that: finding and reading the complete list of treatments covered under Mexico’s Seguro Popular, and talking with Mexican health care expert Adela de la Torre and immigration law expert Robert Juceam. So, my advice to other journalists reporting on ethical dilemmas and binational issues in immigration goes back to basics: be wary of making generalizations, find the small facts that bespeak larger realities, and be sure to call on third-party experts who can help connect the dots and put the complexity in context.