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Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) is backing the renewal of a $250 million-a-year program that will pay illegal immigrants’ hospital bills.
The very idea that McCain is again supporting a program that some view as rewarding illegal immigrants is certain to attract attention from the same conservatives he’s trying to win over for the White House.
The measure, which would reimburse hospitals for the cost of treating illegal immigrants, has broad support from both parties, including from some immigration hardliners and Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.).
Even some of McCain’s toughest critics on immigration admit it is a relatively benign program. But McCain’s association with it underscores his rift on immigration with the right wing, which sees him as championing amnesty for illegal immigrants.
“It’s another reminder that he’s ‘Amnesty John,’ ” said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the conservative Center for Immigration Studies, who nevertheless has no major objection to the proposal. “It’s another reminder of his role in promoting not just amnesty but promoting illegal immigration in the first place.”
An aide to McCain said the Arizona Republican stands by his position.
Federal law forbids hospitals from turning anyone away from emergency rooms, regardless of immigration status or ability to pay for care. Hospitals have been complaining for a decade about the increasing financial burden they bear treating illegal immigrants. Congress responded by creating this funding stream in 2003; it is set to expire at the end of the fiscal year.
McCain is not alone in supporting the program. Sens. Elizabeth Dole (R-N.C.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas), who are illegal immigration hardliners, also support it.
Yet McCain sponsored legislation with Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) that would offer a path to citizenship to millions of illegal immigrants. This damaged his credibility with conservatives, and they do not trust him on the issue.
Though the bill did not pass, many conservatives view the McCain-Kennedy legislation as a black mark on McCain’s record.
McCain adopted a harder stance on the campaign trail as his primary opponents painted him as soft on the issue. Since he emerged from the field as the GOP’s presumptive nominee, McCain has steered clear of immigration whenever possible.
Some staunch immigration reformers detest the hospital-funding program as a giveaway to lawbreakers. Conservatives like Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) maintain that hospitals should be required to ask patients about their immigration status to identify people in the country illegally.
The hospital industry and many lawmakers, especially those from border states, say the funding is critical to keep the facilities open. Hospitals and ambulance services in Southwest border states provided more than $200 million in free emergency care to illegal immigrants in 2000, according to a study commissioned by Congress.
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