Immigrant's case reveals faulty care

• Published September 03, 2008

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He had lived half of his life in America, peacefully making his way through community college, a job as a computer engineer, marrying a citizen.

But when Chinese national Hiu Lui Ng was detained last summer for overstaying his visa, immigration officials treated him with a cruelty unacceptable even for suspects at Guantanamo. ...

Lawmakers now are calling for a federal investigation. But they also need to pass pending legislation creating mandatory standards for health care in immigration custody. ...

This spring alone, at least two other immigrants — a Salvadoran with cancer and a Guinean with a fractured skull and brain hemorrhages — repeatedly were denied medical attention.

As much as our legal system and social services network, the way America treats noncitizens broadcasts the rules that govern our culture.

The tormenting of Hiu Lui Ng defiles the standards of the nation that Homeland Security is charged to protect.

The above editorial excerpt is from The Houston Chronicle.