Migrants are pouring into the United States through the southern border due to the Biden administration’s lax immigration policies. Many lawmakers in the region are concerned that incoming groups will speed up the spread of the CCP virus. Additionally, migrants are not being tested for SARS-CoV-2.
Officials from the Customs and Border Protection department check migrants for symptoms of COVID-19 and consult with onsite medical personnel or local health authorities for further action. However, they do not conduct any COVID-19 tests.
Nor can these Border Patrol agents quarantine migrants for 14 days if they’re suspected of infection. They can only refer them to local health systems. Local governments, nonprofits, and immigrant advocacy groups administer coronavirus tests.
The Biden administration’s failure to restrict the risk of infections spreading from illegal aliens has attracted widespread criticism from officials in the south. Cochise County, Arizona Sheriff Mark Dannels recently brought attention to Biden’s handling of the coronavirus at the border, which goes against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) protocols. The sheriff also questioned Dr. Anthony Fauci why migrants are not being tested for COVID-19 at the border.
“Nobody is talking about what’s going on on the southwest border when it comes to the health pandemic in this country… They are not testing them. They’re being released without being tested into communities. And then, you look at the public safety aspect of this. It’s upsetting. It’s almost like we’re not part of this country, which is very upsetting,” Dannels said in a statement.
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Texas governor Greg Abbott criticized Biden for calling his decision to lift COVID-19 restrictions, including a mask mandate, as “Neanderthal thinking.” He blamed Biden’s lax immigration policy for the continued spread of the virus in Texas, highlighting that Washington refuses to test these people.
The Greyhound bus company is also pressuring Biden to guarantee that migrants boarding its buses from border regions have tested negative for the CCP virus. CEO David Leach wrote a letter to the Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Leach suggested that migrant detainees released by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement must have proof of a negative COVID-19 test, similar to international airline travelers.
Migrant children
A substantial portion of the migrants includes unaccompanied children. It puts considerable strain on an immigration system that is already fully stretched due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Migrant children stay in the custody of the Border Patrol for more than the legally stipulated period of 72 days, overwhelming facilities at the border. In a memo, the Biden administration instructed facilities for migrant children to be operational at pre-coronavirus levels.
“Additional shelter capacity will minimize the likelihood that children remain in Border Patrol stations longer than necessary, where they are also exposed to COVID-19 transmission risks as well as child welfare concerns associated with such settings.”
“Overcapacity at Border Stations poses a greater infection risk to children than [Office of Refugee Resettlement] program sites that may operate at full licensed capacity with comprehensive COVID-19 mitigation measures in place,” the memo states.
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