South Cook News

Ashley Ramos, a candidate for the 2nd Congressional District, has raised concerns about what she and others consider a misuse of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare resources. Critics argue that this misuse has resulted in delays in processing claims for U.S. veterans who are in urgent need of care.

“Unbelievable misuse of the VA,” Ramos said on Facebook.

Ramos expressed her concern, sharing a video that highlights the alleged processing of 161,000 medical and dental care claims for illegal migrants by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in 2022 under the Biden administration.

Darin Selnick, a senior advisor to Concerned Veterans for America, discussed the issue on Fox News, expressing his anger and emphasizing that the VA’s primary mission is to serve veterans, not assist immigration enforcement agencies. Selnick, a former senior adviser in the Trump administration at the VA, claimed that such actions would not have been tolerated during his tenure.

“Yeah, it’s happening. And I got to tell you, when I found out about this a few weeks ago, it made me mad,” Selnick said on Fox News.

“And everyone I’ve talked to who is a veteran, it makes them mad. VA’s mission is to serve veterans. It’s not to help ICE and the Border Patrol, which we have the documents which are on their websites and from the memos not to help them go ahead and process medical claims and pay medical claims and make it easy for the unauthorized migrants to get health care and dental care. So what is happening is and look, as someone who’s a former senior adviser in the Trump administration at the VA and advisor at the White House, I would have stopped this. We would have stopped this because it’s not right. The mission of the VA to serve veterans.”

In response to these allegations, U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) and U.S. Rep. Mike Bost (R-Ill.), along with other top Republicans introduced the No VA Resources for Illegal Aliens Act. They accused President Biden of prioritizing illegal immigrants over veterans and criticized him for redirecting resources from veterans to unauthorized migrants seeking healthcare.

Bost mirrored Tuberville’s sentiments, saying, "Joe Biden’s failed border policies have created a humanitarian and national security crisis. Now it appears he’s taking resources away from our veterans to facilitate healthcare for illegal migrants." He added, "As a Marine, I believe any dollar taken away from a veteran is a promise broken to those who served."

The lawmakers argue that providing healthcare administrative services to illegal immigrants through the VA worsens wait times for American veterans. The proposed legislation aims to address these concerns by emphasizing the need to prioritize veterans’ healthcare over assisting immigration-related medical claims.

Ramos, an e-commerce specialist and licensed notary with certification in CPR, resides in Bradley and has roots in Chicago Heights. She spent her formative years in Momence, according to her campaign website.

The 2nd Congressional District includes the south suburbs of Chicago, eastern Will County, most of Kankakee County and Chicago’s far southeast side. It is currently represented by U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.).