Refugees Need to Be Vetted for Health Reasons as Well as Terrorist Connections, States the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS)

TUCSON, Ariz., Nov. 03, 2016 -- In the argument over immigration policy, candidate Hillary Clinton cites humanitarian concerns, especially for children, notes the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS).

“Voters need to ask the candidates, what about American children?” states AAPS executive director Jane M. Orient, M.D.

“Clinton has promised to bring in another half million refugees from the Middle East. We should look at the serious problems that mass migration is causing in Europe,” states Dr. Orient. “Terrorism is just one aspect. Many migrants bring the belief that it is acceptable to molest or rape non-Muslim women or even children. The rape epidemic in Europe is greatly underreported,” she states.

Even if we could screen out all terrorists and other criminals, health threats are also carried in by innocent people from developing nations, Dr. Orient remarks. That was the reason for quarantining immigrants at Ellis Island in the past. Now, however, refugees are rapidly being dispersed and resettled throughout the country. And of course illegal immigrants pouring across the southern border are not screened at all.

According to Wikileaks, Clinton has advocated for open borders in a paid speech to a Brazilian bank in 2013.

The most serious infectious disease threat is probably tuberculosis, Dr. Orient states, particularly the drug-resistant form that up until now has been found only in foreign-born U.S. residents. Of migrants resettled in Minnesota by the federal government, one in five tested positive for latent TB.

“Latent TB can become active at any time, and you can catch it at school, in the waiting room of the emergency department, or on the bus,” Dr. Orient stated.

“Americans are being placed at risk of infectious diseases that were controlled or eradicated in the U.S. years ago,” writes Elizabeth Lee Vliet, M.D. “Many physicians are unfamiliar with these diseases, and many lack effective treatment.”

Dr. Vliet also warns of the staggering costs and the strain on medical resources that will impair Americans’ access to care.

“Border security and mass refugee resettlement pose critical health and safety issues that will be decided in this election,” Dr. Orient concludes.

The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) is a national organization representing physicians in virtually all specialties and every state. Founded in 1943, AAPS has the motto “omnia pro aegroto,” which means “all for the patient.”

Contact: Jane M. Orient, M.D., (520) 323-3110, [email protected]