Additional Coverage:
- Karoline Leavitt slammed over response to checking immigration status of dying patients (irishstar.com)
White House Press Secretary Under Scrutiny Following Remarks on Emergency Room Care
Washington D.C. – White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is facing criticism after declining to directly address a question regarding whether emergency rooms should verify a patient’s immigration status before providing life-saving medical attention.
During a press briefing held on Thursday, Leavitt, 28, was asked by a reporter, “Should ERs check immigration status before treating a dying patient?” She responded by stating, “That’s probably not a question for me to answer. I think that’s a question for healthcare professionals and legal experts to answer.”
The exchange quickly ignited a strong reaction across social media platforms and among healthcare professionals. Opinions were sharply divided, with some users advocating for immigration checks.
“Yes. They should,” one commenter wrote, adding, “Don’t like it?
Then don’t come here.”
Conversely, many others vehemently disagreed with this stance. A healthcare worker commented, “As a healthcare worker, I’ll answer for her: the answer is no.
Not only is it illegal. It’s unethical.
It’s evil.” Another user pointed out the existing legal framework, stating, “The law states that ERs have to treat everyone who comes through their doors.”
Another individual reinforced this, noting that “Healthcare and legal [experts] already determined that’s a no – hospitals can’t turn away dying humans.”
One commenter offered a defense of Leavitt’s response, arguing, “Hospitals and doctors have a moral, ethical, and legal obligation to treat everyone no matter what their immigration or insurance status. That does not mean taxpayers have to pay for it.
That’s a bad and misleading question. Leavitt answered correctly.”
This incident follows Leavitt’s recent appearance on Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom,” where she addressed questions concerning an ongoing government shutdown. During that interview, Leavitt attributed full blame for the shutdown to Democrats.
“The Democrats know that they put the White House and the president in this position,” Leavitt stated. “And if they don’t want further harm for their constituents back home, then they need to reopen the government.
It’s very simple. Pass the clean continuing resolution and all of this goes away.”
She further asserted, “We would not be having these discussions here at the White House today if not for the Democrats voting to shut the government down. This is an unfortunate consequence, and the president and Russ Vought will be meeting on that later today.”
These comments come as President Trump signals a more resolute position in the budget standoff. He has announced plans to meet with Russ Vought, his budget director and a key figure in conservative policy development, to discuss the administration’s next steps regarding the shutdown.