Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Texas Gov. Threatens To Cut Funding For Hospitals After Doctor's Viral TikTok Tip For Immigrants

Greg Abbott; Tony Pastor
Alex Wong/Getty Images, @drtonypastor/TikTok

Dr. Tony Pastor, a cardiologist at Texas Children's Hospital and assistant professor at Baylor University, sparked the ire of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott after advising patients to defy an executive order from Abbott by not filling in their immigration status on their intake forms.

Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a stark warning to patients ignoring a controversial executive order that requires them to disclose their immigration status during appointments.

Abbott threatened to cut funding from Texas public hospitals defying an order that mandates patients to fill in their immigration status.


The Governor's response to Republican criticism of open-border policies under Democratic President Joe Biden's administration came to light after a viral video message from a doctor on TikTok encouraged patients to ignore Abbott's executive order.

Tony Pastor, a doctor at Texas’s Children’s Hospital and assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine, suspected the mandate was "under the guise of trying to get data on how much money" hospitals were spending on undocumented patients.

So he encouraged patients not to respond to the US citizenship question when filling out hospital intake forms.

You can watch his video here.

@drtonypastor

Expand medicaid


“It has made all of us physicians and providers super uncomfortable,” said Pastor, adding:

“No one has told us what people are going to do with this information.”

Many on social media praised him for sharing the insight.

@drtonypastor/TikTok

@drtonypastor/TikTok

@drtonypastor/TikTok

@drtonypastor/TikTok

@drtonypastor/TikTok

@drtonypastor/TikTok

@drtonypastor/TikTok

Abbott issued the executive order on August 8.

It required the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to collect "information on illegal immigrants who use Texas public hospitals for inpatient and emergency care and to report incurred healthcare costs due to the Biden-Harris Administration’s reckless open border policies.”

In a press release, Abbott stated:

“Due to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ open border policies, Texas has had to foot the bill for medical costs for individuals illegally in the state.”
“Texans should not have to shoulder the burden of financially supporting medical care for illegal immigrants."

He continued:

"That is why today I issued an Executive Order requiring the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to collect and report healthcare costs for illegal immigrants in our state."
"Texas will hold the Biden-Harris Administration accountable for the consequences of their open border policies, and we will fight to ensure that they pay back Texas for their costly and dangerous policies.”

The Texas Governor ordered that the HHSC will "immediately begin" to "collect information regarding the cost of medical care provided to illegal immigrants, beginning by November 1, 2024."

When Pastor's video demanding his state "do what's right for the health of patients in Texas" went viral, Abbott wrote the following message on X (formerly Twitter).

"Hey Texas Children’s Hospital & Baylor College of Medicine, this doctor is putting your Medicaid and Medicare funding at risk."
"You better think twice & have crystal clear records. There will be consequences for failing to follow the law in the Executive Order."

Abbott also shared a link behind a paywall to the San Antonio Express News reporting on the story.

The Governor's threat didn't go over so well on the internet.


@slatyergoddess69/X


In response, Pastor posted a follow-up TikTok video of him beaming with an overlaying text that read:

"When the gov of Texas threatens you on twitter because he is mad you exercised freedom of speech."

The brief clip was accompanied by the song "Popular" performed by Ariana Grande from the Wicked movie soundtrack.

@drtonypastor

Im elphaba honestly

His popularity continued surging.

@drtonypastor/TikTok

@drtonypastor/TikTok

@drtonypastor/TikTok

@drtonypastor/TikTok

@drtonypastor/TikTok


Pastor touched on immigration in an October 31 TikTok video, explaining how his grandfather immigrated across the border to receive medical care.

“It just drives me crazy that we’ve come this far as a nation that we forget we are a nation of immigrants,” said Pastor, adding:

“And racism and bigotry has just taken over a small population.”

You can watch a clip of the news story here.

- YouTubeyoutu.be

More from Trending

A wide shot of a group of younger people having a work meeting in a conference room.
Photo by Redd F on Unsplash

People Reveal Secrets About Their Job No One Is Supposed To Know

Every workplace has its issues and secrets.

And the sooner they're exposed, the better.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kash Patel
Peter Zay/Anadolu via Getty Images

Fox Mocked For Sad Graphic Listing Kash Patel's 'Qualifications' To Be FBI Director

As President-elect Donald Trump announces his choices for Trump administration 2.0, some are proving harder for his allies to justify than others.

On Saturday, Trump announced via Truth Social that he planned to appoint MAGA loyalist Kash Patel to head up the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Keep ReadingShow less
Eddie Murphy; Eric Murphy & Jasmin Lawrence; Martin Lawrence
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images; @jasmin_lawrence/Instagram; Noam Galai/Getty Images for SiriusXM

Eddie Murphy's Son Just Got Engaged To Martin Lawrence's Daughter—And Fans Are Overjoyed

Martin Lawrence’s daughter, Jasmin Lawrence, and Eddie Murphy’s son, Eric Murphy, are officially engaged!

The couple, together for over three years, announced the happy news on Instagram with a romantic video featuring Eric’s candlelit proposal, set to Eric Benét’s Spend My Life with You.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from TikTok videos by @jngarz, @cass.on.tour, and @flowerpower12790
@jngarz/TikTok; @cass.on.tour/TikTok; @flowerpower12790/TikTok

Kacey Musgraves Puts Florida Fan On Blast For Grabbing Her During Tampa Concert

Country singer Kacey Musgraves is currently touring the southern U.S., and while she was in Florida, one fan nearly ruined the tour for everyone when they inappropriately grabbed the artist.

While in Tampa, Florida, Musgraves was performing down on the floor with the audience, walking toward the camera for dramatic effect when an audience member grabbed her arm and yanked her toward the crowd.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pete Hegseth
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Pete Hegseth's Mom Called Him 'Despicable' And An 'Abuser Of Women' In Brutal 2018 Email

The New York Times shared a 2018 email concerning former Fox News host Pete Hegseth's mother in which she calls him "despicable" and accuses him of repeatedly mistreating women.

Days after President-elect Donald Trump won the 2024 election, the Pentagon was dumbfounded when Trump selected Hegseth, the Fox and Friends weekend co-host and former Army National Guard officer, as his nominee for U.S. Secretary of Defense for the incoming administration.

Keep ReadingShow less