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This document was modified last on Nov 23, 2005 - 11:33:12 PST.

Illegal immigrant with tuberculosis fears county will turn him over to immigration
By JENNIFER CARTER, Staff Writer




Health officials say they may have no other alternative
The tuberculosis eating at Ricardo’s lungs makes him a public health threat. His fear of being picked up by immigration authorities has sent him into hiding.

A hard-to-treat combination of medical problems left the young farmworker tired, without an appetite and, because of the tuberculosis, quarantined in a hotel room for weeks.

But last week, Ricardo, who is also an illegal immigrant, heard that Skagit County Public Health, which has treated him for months, might have reported him to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Ricardo has been deported to Mexico once before and said he doesn’t want to go again â€â€