MEDIA ADVISORY AND PUBLIC NOTICE

Congressman Al Green and Leaders Respond to Governor Abbott's Executive Order and Advocates for Undocumented Immigrants' Access to Emergency Healthcare Services Without Reporting Citizenship Status

(Houston, TX) — Today, Congressman Al Green held a press conference with Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia, Texas State Representative Gene Wu, President of League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Dr. Sergio Lira, President of Texas Multicultural Advocacy Coalition (TMAC) Dr. Shin-Shem Steven Pei, and NAACP Houston Branch Representative Sylvia McCarter to discuss an executive order signed by Governor Greg Abbott. The order directs the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to collect information on the status of undocumented immigrants.

Congressman Green noted that federal law requires hospitals to provide emergency care regardless of a person's immigration status. Moreover, undocumented Medicaid-eligible individuals can receive emergency Medicaid. In response to Governor Abbott's suggestion that the federal government would be billed for the undocumented care in question, Congressman Green pointed out that Governor Abbott turned down approximately one hundred billion federal dollars available to Texas by refusing to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. Notably, 41 other states, including Washington D.C., have implemented Medicaid expansion. Texas has not. This is especially important given that approximately 17% of Texas's population, totaling a record 4.9 million people, were uninsured and lacked access to healthcare coverage in 2022.

Congressman Al Green stated, “It's important to recognize that no person should be denied emergency healthcare. Further, many undocumented workers contribute billions of dollars in federal, state, and local taxes, yet they are often not eligible to receive social services supported by their tax contributions, including some healthcare programs.”