Is President Obama Planning To Bring Non-Citizens To The U.S. For Ebola Treatment?

Republican congressman Bob Goodlatte, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, told Fox News that his office has received “information from within the administration” that President Obama’s administration may be pursuing plans to bring non-US citizens that are suffering from the Ebola virus to the United States for treatment.

The plan comes after actions taken by two U.S. governors, New Jersey’s Gov. Chris Christie and New York’s Gov. Andrew Cuomo, to place medical workers returning to the U.S. under quarantine. The two U.S. governors have since abolished such measures.
“Members of the media, my office has received confidential communications saying that those plans are being developed,” Goodlatte said Monday night.

“This is simply a matter of common sense that if you are concerned about this problem spreading and this is a deadly disease that we’re even concerned about the great health care workers when they come back not spreading it, we certainly shouldn’t be bringing in the patients.”

A Goodlatte aide told FoxNews.com that “someone in one of the agencies” contacted their office with the tip. Presumably, the plan would apply to non-U. S. Residents. Who would pay for the transport and treatment is an open question.

In his letter last week, Republican Goodlatte asked whether the Obama administration is formulating such a plan, seeking details and communications among their employees.

Goodlatte has made efforts to find out whether such a plan exists. The Republican has written to both U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry about plans to bring non-U.S. Citizens to the United States for treatment. However, he says he has not received a response.

The conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch also reported, shortly before Goodlatte sent the letter, that the administration is “actively formulating” plans to bring Ebola patients into the U.S., with the specific goal of treating them “within the first days of diagnosis.”

President Obama said he’ll meet with the U.S. health workers who have returned from West Africa on Wednesday, and that U.S. officials should not “just react based on our fears” by imposing policies that discourage more workers from volunteering in the region that is the epicenter of the Ebola outbreak.

“We don’t want to do things that aren’t based on science and best practices because if we do, then we’re just putting another barrier on somebody who’s already doing important work on our behalf.”

Should President Obama allow non-U.S. citizens to visit the United States for Ebola treatment?

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