Victor Leon is alone in the hospital most days.
The 26-year-old was paralyzed nearly three years ago when he fell from the roof of a three-story building in Palm City while working for Jupiter-based Altec Roofing. Since then, Leon has been mired in a legal battle to get workers’ compensation benefits or legal damages from Altec.
Leon is an illegal immigrant. His status puts him at the crux of a legal debate over what rights, if any, illegal workers have after being injured on a job for which the American government says they never should have been hired.
“It’s sort of a legal limbo,” said Chad Hastings, Leon’s attorney. “He’s in a place where basically the American government is saying, ‘Go die somewhere.’ ”
Unable to work since the accident because of his paralysis, Leon is homeless and poverty worsened his medical problems. Reused catheters caused infections and bedsores burrowed deeper into his body until they threatened to overtake his bones. He’s spent most of 2009 in St. Mary’s Medical Center and is about to undergo his third surgery.
We could probably go down the road about it being his own fault for being here illegally, or the fault of the company for hiring him illegally, or the fault of the government for not doing more to stop illegal immigration, but, this is why I have been saying for a long time that this is why we need reform for legal immigration, which would include migrant and temporary workers. It should be part of reform that those companies that hire them should be responsible for the health care, rather then putting the burden on the government, which means, of course, the People’s money.
And, yes, I do think that the company in this case should be responsible for Leon’s care, regardless of him being an illegal. Altec Roofing hired him. They either knew he was an illegal, or, should have know, what with those pesky laws about filling out an I-9 form.
And here in Raleigh, NC
Activists marching across the state for immigrants’ rights rallied on the steps of the state Capitol on Friday in support of abolishing 287(g), a federal program that allows local law enforcement officers to act as immigration officials.
“We’re looking for immigration reform,” said Tony Macias, assistant director of the Durham-based group Student Action With Farm Workers. “We think that the laws are inhumane and the way that those laws are practiced are also inhumane.”
Well, some might think laws against theft, rape, murder, stealing cable service, and illegally downloading music are inhumane, along with the penalties. Interestingly, Student Action With Farm Workers volunteers never actually work a farm, just agitate, much like Obama did. Maybe they think that is inhumane to work a farm?
“Many folks who either have been arrested or detained for minor traffic violations or for not having a license have ultimately been sent to a detention center and many times deported,” said Betty Marin, with the group, Witness for Peace.
In other words, they broke the law, were caught, the police found out they were here illegally, and packed them off. Then they came back. Multiple times. So, they illegals knew what they were doing. I wonder if Betty has been a witness to this kind of peace that many illegals are involved in?
