U.S. Customs and Border Protection arrested an Indian national at the U.S.-Mexico border who later tested positive for the coronavirus.
The 31-year-old man, apprehended last week along with three Mexican nationals on suspicion of illegally crossing the border, was quarantined near Calexico, California, after displaying flu-like symptoms, according to Fox News.
The man tested positive for the virus and was turned over to the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement for further treatment, while the three Mexican nationals were sent back to Mexico.
“The potential for the introduction and spread of COVID-19 in CBP stations and processing centers presents a danger to migrants, our frontline agents and officers, and the American people,” acting ICE Director Mark Morgan said in a statement. “Our agents and officers continue to protect our country from this invisible enemy, risking their own lives for the health of our nation.”
“This is precisely the reason the CDC has given CBP the authority to rapidly return individuals that could potentially be infected with COVID-19,” Morgan said. “Can you imagine if we were navigating this pandemic during this time last year, when we had more than 20,000 migrants in our custody? It would have overwhelmed our processing centers and stations, and crippled the healthcare system along the border.”
The man is believed to be the first individual in CBP custody to test positive for the coronavirus. As of Sunday, 303 agents have tested positive for COVID-19, according to Newsweek.
In April, ICE released almost 700 detained illegal immigrants over concerns that they were vulnerable to the coronavirus.
“As a special response to this particular crisis, ICE has instructed its field offices to further assess for the purpose of considering releases of certain individuals deemed to be at greater risk of exposure,” acting Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Ken Cuccinelli said at the time. “ICE continues to reevaluate all individuals in custody who make up vulnerable populations, and they’ve been modifying practices based on recommendations of the CDC.”
