Mexican Teen With TB Faces Deportation

Illegal Immigrant In Georgia Jailed After He Refused Treatment For Contagious Strain Of Tuberculosis

(AP)  Officials started taking steps to deport a Mexican teenager who was jailed after refusing treatment for tuberculosis.

Francisco Santos, 17, has acknowledged to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents that he is in the country illegally, Gwinnett County Sheriff Butch Conway said Wednesday.

County health officials jailed Santos last week after he refused treatment for an active, contagious case of tuberculosis and threatened to travel to Mexico, a move that could expose more people to the potentially fatal disease. Santos, who lives in Duluth, has since started taking medicine, but he will remain jailed at least until a Sept. 5 hearing.

Conway said Santos' condition and age could further complicate a deportation process that can take months. Because he is a minor, officials would have to make sure he has family in Mexico or that the Mexican government would take a role.

Four people who had been living with Santos have also tested positive for tuberculosis, health officials said Wednesday.

"Those four tested positive but are not actively ill," Gwinnett County Health Department spokesman Vernon Goins said. "Chest X-rays were negative, and we will treat them to keep the disease from developing."

Goins said the four are not contagious and will follow the typical TB treatment for nine months. Four other relatives have tested negative, five more came in for testing Wednesday, with results expected Friday, and three more people will be tested Monday, officials said.

The incident in some ways echoed the case of Andrew Speaker, the Atlanta attorney who in May was held under a federal isolation order after he went on a European wedding trip and refused health officials' directives that he not take any commercial jets back to the United States.

Tuberculosis kills nearly 2 million people each year worldwide.

Because of antibiotics and other measures, the TB rate in the United States has been falling for years. Last year, it hit an all-time low of 13,767 cases, or about 4.6 cases per 100,000 Americans.

[trueprogress]

Lost country : You make powerful points. I am very concerned about the hazards that you mention, and I retract my former statement. Perhaps we academics are not in the real world enough. Where I teach, there is a small town, nearby , but basically we are separated. I must leave once and a while a explore. Thank you for all your help.

[lostcountry1]

the only thing global about this story is the threat of a global outbreak from some illegal invader.truprogress. as a professor, why dont you go get the sick boy, and take him home. you two can talk about global afairs.

[lostcountry1]

as a citizen of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, i have a responsibility to my fellow americans.are you for real? maybe you should put down the comic books and act like an american.or better yet, take your global as- somewhere else in the globe.

[lostcountry1]

trueprogress, sell your anti-american bullshi- to your students. this is why conservatives label people like ultra-liberal cowards. go preach your cra- in arlington out front of the cemetary and see what happens. give your house to some mexicans but dont suggest that we do the same.what about all of the slaves? what about the indians?why fight to keep a country, just to give it away when its politically correct?i expect your one of those pro-mexican, poor hardworking,people supporters?do the right thing, go to mexico and start a freedom movement there.we dont need your help here,they need your help down there.

[trueprogress]

Who took this boy''s land ? Why should he move ?

As a college Professor, I can bring some historical perspective to this discussion.

Large parts of what we believe are "America" were actually part of "greater Mexico" before 1848, when the USA mighty army, navy and landgrabbers, bloodily expanded into the territory we now know as California, Texas and Colorado ! . All this land, including parts of Mich. and Wisc, Iowa had been explored by Spanish and Mexican natativists, up the Miss. River, many centuries before 1776 ! In recognition of this, a group of experts , including myself, have proposed not a "giving back" what was not ours to take, but a gentle BLENDING of our cultures/societies/currencies/enducation/languages ! By amending each state constitution, to provide for 50 % Hispanic representation in each house of state gov''t we feel that we could help rectiffy this terrible crime we have inherited, without disruption of services to the needy or obligations to our citizens. We also propose a cash settlement to all Hispanics here in the US ( in any State) as reparations for the land/resources/mineral rights. An additional "tax free" zone of 10 years is under consideration for nationwide collegial/departmental conferetium. I will be on CSPAN along wih other collegues to discuss this exciting national healing process. As one nation, Mexico America, we will be at peace with each other and our history, at long last.

[tbweb]

illegal immigrants are America''s Trojan Horse! I''ve been making this point from the beginning, illegal immigrants put America at a health risk and this is just one case, multiply this TB case by the hundreds. Legal immigrants have to pass a medical exam which ensures Americans are kept safe. It''s not about discrimination or hate, it''s not about not supporting immigration, it''s about obeying the law and entering the U.S. legally, getting checked out, medically cleared. Of the estimated 12 million illegal Mexicans in the U.S. possibly sick, possibly with TB as well like this guy, how many have been medically cleared? Answer? ZERO!! How can the U.S. overlook this and complain and freak out about just one guy flying around in a plane with TB when we could be at risk by millions of illegal Mexicans? I don''t get it, the U.S. is penny wise and pound foolish!

[gretagreen]

What a weird story. It gives no reason why he refused treatment.

Maybe CBS just wanted an illegal immigrant story for today. I guess this is the best they could do.

[frankinaz]

Another problem and cost associated with illegal immigration: No health checks. Tuberculosis began to re-appear in 2000 in Southern Santa Clara County, CA, thanks to illegal immigrants. No doubt other incidents like this one have happened in other parts of the country where illegal immigrants live and work. God only knows what other eradicated diseases in the U. S. these people could re-introduce in the future, if they are allowed to enter and stay in this country unchecked in number, backgrounds, or health concerns.

[fabdenise]

My heart goes out to all the American people who are not in government. They have no control of their lives anymore with all that is going on in this country. The government is waiting for an epidemic or something tragic to happen to the American people before something will be done. It is sad that we all work all our lives and money is paid to immigrants who come here legal or illegal and get to live for free and receive free health care. Not to mention that English is the universal language of the United States of America. Do you think other countries would put up with newcomers coming in and literally taking over their country?

[rushlimpdrug]

What would McCain do?

[nggr]

"family in Mexico or that the Mexican government would take a role."


I''m sure he doesn''t, and they won''t.

it''s like someone cr*pped on our floor and we picked it up and are asking if they will please, please take their t*rd back and dispose of it!

[foranc]

Hey, DylanXXV - good idea!

[drivelphobe]

vancouverboo....

It''s a pleasure.

On topic, this is just another glaring example to support closed borders and deportation.

A team member!

[dylanxxv]

He refused treatment...He is here illegally...Costing our country thousands of $$$ to hold him in jail...Just put a bullet in the little ******** head and dump his body on the mexican side...

[vancouverboo]

drivelphobe, thank you for agreeing with me. It''s nice to have you on the team.

[drivelphobe]

vancouverboo.....

The average individual pays so little tax that "loopholes" wouldn''t mean much. Indivduals with larger incomes are incentivised by tax policy to use money for expenditures that favor political agendae. Of course tax loopholes are for the rich. They''re the ones with the money. What an uniformed comment.

What good does it do to design tax policy for an individual who makes $100K or less. Tax policy goes after people who have liability in the hundreds of thousands and millions. These are good policies.

[lostcountry1]

klingon, your right about that one.i was overjoyed to see that the illegal who hid in the church was finally sent back. i was wondering where the father was,though? how long before she surfaces again, what with all the new security at the borders and all.maybe cbs, will bring her back when they need some new,news.

[olebd]

17 years old and their in a quandry because he''s a minor. Pay no mind to the fact that he is here illegal, he has a contagious disease and he has refused treatment in the past. Why is there always such red tape and debate in this country these days?

He should be treated so he doesn''t spread it to anyone else, then he should be tried as an adult for breaking some serious laws and deported quickly with an order to never return. We don''t need this law breaking type of citizenry.

[klingon69]

Amazing, they allow comments on this story, but did not on the last 2 stories about illegals.

[dragonmouse-2009]

I''d like to send the creep back as soon as possible. As far as I''m concerned he has NO RIGHTS to "refuse" treatment because he is here on OUR soil exposing our people.

I hate the idea of our tax dollars paying for it but we all know if we send him back untreated he''ll be likely to expose more and then he and the others will come back and do more damage. Cure him then drop him off on the other side. He''s 17...he was old enough to get here...he''s old enough to go back.

I''m really TIRED of this illegal issue. I''m all for rounding them all up dropping them off in Mexico and sorting it out later. Our citizenship was not FREE. Our ancestors fought and died for us to be citizens they didn''t just sneak across the border and expect everybody to take care of them.