The U.S.-Mexico border remains officially closed to non-essential traffic. But that’s not stopping asylum seekers from pushing on and, in some cases, bringing COVID-19 with them.
In the face of federal and state efforts to contain COVID, migrants crossing into Texas are testing positive for the virus, and continuing their travels into the U.S. While the Biden administration says it is handling the surging numbers, a Democrat congressman sees deteriorating conditions in his border district.
“[The administration is] only listening to the immigration activists, and they’re not listening to the folks on the border,” Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, complained Wednesday. The same day, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) tweeted, “The Biden administration is recklessly releasing hundreds of illegal immigrants who have COVID into Texas communities.”
A senior Homeland Security official countered that the Republican governor stalled administration efforts to provide federal funds for coronavirus screening of migrants. Though the state has sent test kits to the border, Brownsville officials say they cannot stop COVID-positive migrants from getting on buses bound for the U.S. interior. FAIR reported last month that under catch and release protocols, immigration agents had begun dropping migrants off at the bus station in McAllen, another city in the Rio Grande Valley.
White House sources told Fox News on Wednesday they were aware that migrants were continuing to travel despite having COVID. One group in Brownsville said they were told of their positive test results by bus station workers, but not provided with any confirming documents.
The loose and ad-hoc process at the border stands in contrast to longstanding COVID regulations in the U.S., where business and other activities remain restricted in most states. After a year of masking up, California residents are now being asked to wear double masks. Maybe illegal aliens who have been waved across the border will get a pass on that too.
