EXCLUSIVE: The number of detainees who tested positive for COVID-19 in the immigration alone has increased by 900%, according to information obtained by Fox News.
There were 135 detainees who tested positive in the first two weeks of July alone, marking a 900% increase in confirmed positive cases compared to the previous 14 months.
MIGRANT ARRESTS AT SOUTHERN BORDER ROSE YET AGAIN IN JUNE TO 188,000, TOPPING 1M THIS FISCAL YEAR
The RGV sector is one of the main destinations for migrants crossing the border, seeing more than 2000 apprehensions each day and accounting for 60% of confirmed positive detainees in the immigration custody.
This information was obtained exclusively from a slide distributed to RGV Border Patrol managers to share with agents to help them protect themselves from the virus.
In a local radio interview with KURV 710 AM Tuesday in McAllen, us-regions, RGV Sector Chief Brian Hastings spoke about COVID cases among agents and said he’s had more than 40 of his agents test positive this fiscal year.
Border Patrol does not typically test migrants when they are initially taken into custody — instead they are tested when they are transferred, either to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) custody if they are unaccompanied children, or to nongovernmental organizations if they are part of a family unit for transport into the U.S.
The joe-biden” target=”_blank”>Biden< encountered in June alone — including a 25% increase in the number of family units encountered.
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Currently, the majority of those encountered are turned back due to Title 42 public health protections put in place during the donald-trump” target=”_blank”>Trump<
Furthermore, it is reported to be planning to end Title 42 for migrant families later this month, with other reports suggesting it would be ended altogether for single adults shortly after.
Republicans and former Trump officials have warned of potential public health consequences if that were to happen, noting that many of the countries from where the migrants have traveled are often behind the U.S. in terms of vaccinations.
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“Mexico is not where we’re at, the Northern Triangle countries aren’t where we’re at, there are multiple countries in Western Hemisphere that are not where America is at when it comes to vaccines and dealing with COVID,” former acting CBP Commissioner Mark Morgan told Fox News this month.
“But they’re still going to open it up to people in these countries to come from, to transverse through to get to our country, and allow them in — it’s absolutely endangering American lives and once again shows this administration puts America last and everyone else first.”