Democrats Block GOP Bill Requiring Illegal Immigrants to Be Tested for COVID; Border Jumpers Carry Dramatically Higher COVID-19 Rates than U.S. Population, and related stories

Democrats Block GOP Bill Requiring Illegal Immigrants to Be Tested for COVID:

“Common sense” is seemingly not part of the Democratic lexicon.

House Democrats on Tuesday blocked consideration of a Republican bill sponsored by Iowa Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks that would require the Department of Homeland Security to test illegal immigrants for the coronavirus before releasing them into border communities, as they have been doing.

“This week, I traveled to El Paso, Texas, to meet with [Customs and Border Protection] agents and officers,” Miller-Meeks said in a statement on Tuesday. “I saw firsthand the crisis they are facing, and I believe it is our job in Congress to address it and assist them. Approximately 50% of agents have tested positive for COVID-19, and very few migrants are being tested.

“My REACT Act would require that every migrant released from CBP or [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] custody is tested and receives a negative test.

“Border security and immigration is not an issue that only affects border states, it affects every community across the country. By ensuring that individuals entering the country are negative for COVID-19, we can help keep our communities safe and healthy.” —>READ MORE HERE

Border jumpers carry dramatically higher COVID-19 rates than U.S. population:

Migrant families coming across the border are testing positive for the coronavirus at between three and 10 times the rate of the U.S. population, according to a Washington Times survey of jurisdictions that are doing the testing.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement told The Times that the families it is processing are between 5% and 10% positive.

In Brownsville, Texas, the city says it is seeing a 12% positive rate.

And in Harlingen, near Brownsville, the homeless shelter where families are being dropped off reported a group at 25% positive for COVID-19. That’s more than seven times the current positivity test rate for the U.S. public, which Johns Hopkins University’s tracker shows at 3.5%.

Pastor Bill Reagan, who runs Loaves and Fishes, the Harlingen shelter, said they’re doing the best they can with the situation. —>READ MORE HERE

Follow links below to related stories:

Some Border Patrol Migrant Detention Centers Show Up to 500% COVID-Capacity

Number of COVID-Positive Migrants Released into Texas Border Town Rises over Past Week

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