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Fingerprints may identify TX hospitals’ patients

Emergency Management Alert, March 1, 2005

A Rio Grande Valley lawmaker wants to pass a bill requiring fingerprint identification of patients at Texas hospitals along the Mexican border, The Valley Morning Star reported.

House Bill 805's intent is to prevent terrorists from entering the United States, state Rep. Armando Martinez, told the Star. The bill applies only to counties bordering Mexico. The bill would require a law enforcement official to take fingerprints of any patient who receives emergency medical services to confirm the person's identity. Patients without identification or who refused to provide identification would have to be fingerprinted.

"When that does occur, we can contact these law enforcement officers to come in and just do a fingerprint and keep it on the patient's file as a way of tracking the individual in case something does happen," Martinez said.

A terrorist could fake an injury in order to enter the US, especially since customs officers don't ask questions if someone crosses the border for medical care, he said.

"What is to prevent a terrorist from staging a possible bombing or explosion, acting like they're injured ... and we get them to a hospital and once they're in a room and everybody walks out and they can just get up and walk out against medical advice?" Martinez said.

However, the bill could also help medical workers identify unconscious patients, including spring break students injured at South Padre Island. The students often wear bathing suits and don't carry identification.

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