Thousands of mostly Haitian migrants who crossed the southern border recently have not been tested for COVID-19 unless they have shown symptoms, according to a report.
“Border Patrol sources working the Del Rio camp tell me that there is no COVID testing of migrants at the camp unless they are displaying obvious symptoms,” Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin tweeted from Del Rio, Texas, on Thursday.
“There are medical tents set up here where any migrants w/ health issues are taken into,” Melugin said.
Border Patrol sources working the Del Rio camp tell me that there is no COVID testing of migrants at the camp unless they are displaying obvious symptoms. There are medical tents set up here where any migrants w/ health issues are taken into. @FoxNews pic.twitter.com/LQrKROEyky
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) September 23, 2021
The crowded conditions under the Del Rio International Bridge are conducive to a COVID-19 outbreak, according to Angela Clendenin, instructional assistant professor at the Texas A&M School of Public Health.
“What you have at Del Rio is a large encampment of people who are refugees from Haiti. And one thing we know about transmissible diseases is anytime you have an area that’s densely populated, it promotes the spread of that disease,” Clendenin told the Washington Examiner on Thursday.
“From the beginning, you’ve had a disease that is transmissible, and 20%-50% of cases have been asymptomatic. It’s hard to identify those cases, and it’s hard to get them isolated and then to get their close contacts quarantined,” she added.
The concerns will only grow as many of the Haitian migrants are moving to other locations in the United States.
Those returning to Haiti through deportation flights are being tested for COVID-19 before leaving the country, according to The Associated Press.
On Wednesday, New York magazine reported, “A U.S. official estimated that thousands have been bused to other locations in Texas or to Arizona, then told to appear at an immigration office within two months.”
KTRK-TV in Houston reported on Wednesday that Haitian migrants from Del Rio have been bused to the area.
The report said that “volunteers from a coalition of churches are preparing them for the next part of their journey in America.”
In addition, it said, “The migrants staying there are reportedly families who came to escape violence or persecution. They’ll eventually be taken to Bush Intercontinental Airport or the bus station to meet up with their sponsors in other states.”
The migrant gathering of nearly 15,000 people has now dropped to less than half of its size.
UPDATE: DHS says the number of Haitians deported from Del Rio as of yesterday is 1,401 instead of 1,719. An extra day of numbers was counted. https://t.co/sgkpTDrCUj
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) September 23, 2021
As of Thursday morning, 3,881 migrants remained under the Del Rio bridge, according to Melugin. A total of 1,401 were deported as of the end of Wednesday.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
