For citizens and non-citizens alike, the U.S. has strict COVID-19 policies for those entering the United States legally via air travel. As of Feb. 18, the Biden administration mandated “All air passengers coming to the United States, including U.S. citizens, are required to have a negative COVID-19 test result or documentation of recovery from COVID-19 before they board a flight to the United States.”
Yet, an enraging NBC News report suggests that those seeking to enter our land borders illegally are not facing these same requirements.
According to NBC, after seeking asylum in Brownsville, Texas, a number of illegal immigrants are testing positive for COVID-19, then boarding buses to travel to dozens of cities and states throughout the country.
A spokesperson for the city of Brownsville told NBC “that they do not have the authority to retain these migrants,” despite testing positive for COVID-19. Martín Fernández, a worker for the bus company, said the company “respects the protocols of federal authorities: passengers must wear masks on board the vehicle and use hand sanitizer gel. But they cannot, he clarified, ask passengers for COVID-19 tests before getting on buses.”
Since they began administering COVID-19 tests on Jan. 25, the Brownsville spokesperson said 108 migrants—or 6.3 percent of those who took the test—have tested positive for COVID-19.
On top of the public health crisis, the U.S. is once again facing another border crisis. More than 6,000 migrants are flooding into the country each day. For context, Jeh Johnson, former President Barack Obama’s Department of Homeland Security secretary, said 1,000 daily apprehensions overwhelm the system. Despite these facts, the Biden administration is reducing border security, stopping deportations, and promising amnesty, which effectively encourages more illegal immigration and opens the door for more COVID-19 spread.
On Tuesday morning, 13 migrants died in a crash after 25 people had been crammed into a Ford Expedition that seats 7 to 8 passengers. Agents from Homeland Security Investigations in San Diego have initiated a human smuggling investigation in connection with the fatal crash. The crash serves as a tragic and horrific reminder that U.S. immigration laws don’t only exist to protect Americans, but also to protect vulnerable migrants from smugglers who employ dangerous methods with no regard for safety or health.
When asked by a reporter earlier this week whether there’s a crisis on the border, President Biden responded, “No.”
But as The Heritage Foundation’s James Carafano put it, “It’s not a Border crisis if you don’t believe in borders.”