A California man, Jesus Navarro has some of the things one needs to get a kidney transplant, health insurance and donor, but he is lacking legal status and is being denied a new organ based on his lack of legal residency.
Jesus Navarro entered the country 14 years and failed to get citizenship through the guidance of an
immigration attorney. He did however work and his employer provided health insurance. Navarro has been on dialysis for several years and his best option for survival is a kidney transplant.
Last year he came to the top of the transplant list, but was denied because he was illegal. His wife then volunteered to donate one of her kidneys, but the hospital again denied the transplant.
Hospitals don’t perform organ transplants if the person cannot have the proper after care and pay for the drugs that prevent the body from rejecting the new organ, according to the Huffington Post. Immigration status is also among the issues a hospital considers when considering a candidate for organ transplant.
Healthcare for illegal immigrants have been a contentious issue for years. Arizona’s controversial
immigration bill, which is tied up in federal court had a provision that would require hospitals to check immigration status before administering care.
Healthcare is just one if the many issues illegal immigrants face. Getting legal status with the assistance of an immigration lawyer is the only way to assure the immigrant is afforded the benefits of citizenship.
The path to legal residency can be difficult to navigate but an
immigration attorney will make the process easier.
