Governor Abbott signs executive order requiring hospitals to collect data on immigration statues
On Thursday, Governor Greg Abbott issued a new executive order focusing on migrants and medical care. The order asks public hospitals to collect information on patients' immigration status.
According to his statement, Governor Abbott wants the federal government to reimburse the state of Texas for migrants’ hospital expenses. Executive order GA 46 will require state hospitals to collect data on inpatient discharges and emergency room visits.
"Why should hard-working Texans have to pay those healthcare costs for policies, the open border policies, of the Biden-Harris administration?" said Representative Briscoe Cain.
Governor Abbott is using the order to track how much the state has spent on migrants’ medical care so the bill can be sent to the federal government.
"This is Texas taxpayers paying for this. It’s time though, that the federal government should reimburse the state of Texas for those costs," said Representative Cain.
"Undocumented immigrants contribute $26.2 billion to this country, nationally. Two-point-six billion dollars to the state and local taxes," said Sergio Lira, the president of Greater Houston LULAC.
The move comes as more politicians are highlighting the influx of immigrants coming in at the border.
"It’s pretty vague. It’s like ‘Hey, let’s just get the data.’ Well, what are you doing to do with the data?," said Gabriel Rosales, the state director for LULAC in Texas.
The League of United Latin American Citizens, or LULAC, is calling the executive order ‘political rhetoric’ from the governor and the Republican Party.
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"However the federal government subsidizes and supplements a lot of the medical costs, locally, statewide," said Lira.
LULAC officials said the executive order could deter some immigrants from getting the medical care they need.
"It just creates a lot of fear that’s unnecessary. They need to create a pathway to citizenship," said Rosales.
The new rule takes effect November 1st. The first annual report is expected to be complete in 2026.