i thank the gentleman for yielding . 
mr. chairman , envision this : an undocumented immigrant suffers from severe chest pains and a nagging cough . 
too frightened to seek out medical attention in the beginning , he lets this condition persist . 
he finds himself in the emergency room of the local hospital . 
the first order of business for the emergency physician or nurse is not to ask them where it hurts and do a physical exam to see if their life is in imminent danger , but to ask their immigration status and get a sworn statement to that effect . 
and if that patient can not prove their legal status because they do not happen to have the documentation on them , that same doctor must make the choice not to provide care to this person or at least they must report them to immigration officials before providing lifesaving treatment . 
i ask you , in this universe , what kind of choice is that ? 
there is no choice in asking a person to choose life or death . 
this amendment unfairly and wrongly punishes health care professionals for doing what they are ethically and legally obligated to do . 
our doctors and nurses do everything they can to help these individuals , regardless of their status , in order to save lives and to nurse them back to health . 
today 's hospitals are already underfunded , understaffed , and under tremendous pressure to meet the new demands of homeland security preparedness . 
i think we can all agree that our nation 's immigration system is broken . 
it does not meet our security needs , our economic needs , nor does it reflect the american values of strong families and respect for work . 
however , we will never fix our country 's immigration ills by punishing our local hospitals for treating the ill . 
i urge my colleagues to vote `` no '' on the tancredo amendment . 
