EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-NM, responded to a local health care center in Southern New Mexico on Wednesday, Feb. 26, that is allegedly denying care to individuals unable to provide proof of citizenship.
Heinrich posted on his X account an image of a paper from one of the Ben Archer Health Care Centers, reading the following:
Ben Archer Health Center has over 10 locations in New Mexico, several of them in Las Cruces.
Heinrich’s office verified that Ben Archer was employing the practice at school-based health clinics, scheduled appointments at standalone clinics and same-day appointment requests, the Senator’s office said.
“The idea that kids should have to take their birth certificate to school to get care at the school health clinic? It’s just ludicrous. We have skyrocketing grocery prices, a housing crisis, and now, a measles outbreak in New Mexico and Texas. We need our elected officials focused on fixing real issues and our health care providers focused on providing health care,” Heinrich said.
According to Heinrich’s office, Ben Archer’s leadership pointed at the executive order “Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders” but has no bearing on the “provision of health care to non-citizens.”
“What Ben Archer was pulling at its health clinics wasn’t just wrong, it was illegal. I am glad they reversed course, and that they did it quickly. Let this be a lesson to all healthcare providers that we will hold you accountable for following the law,” Heinrich said.
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