The Trump administration’s success at reducing illegal crossings over the southern border blocked an even bigger coronavirus “catastrophe” spread from U.S. Border Patrol holding facilities to hundreds of American cities, according to officials.
Chad Wolf, the acting secretary of homeland security, told Secrets that the border shutdown spelled out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the White House and enforced by his officers has helped to keep COVID-19 hot spots away from the border and most of his team.
“It has saved American lives and has prevented a potential catastrophe along our southwest border during this pandemic,” he said in an interview of his authority under Title 42 quarantine rules.
As we reopen the U.S. economy, @POTUS is continuing to take aggressive measures to protect the American people from COVID-19. That’s why Brazil, heavily impacted by the virus, is being added to the list of travel-restricted countries. More: https://t.co/hORRxDM8e7
— Acting Secretary Chad Wolf (@DHS_Wolf) May 27, 2020
He said that by greatly reducing crossings and returning apprehended illegal immigrants within two hours has vastly cut the numbers of immigrants held in facilities that come from virus-plagued Latin American nations such as Mexico and Brazil.
“Migrants pose a risk for front line personnel, doctors, nurses, and the American people across that southwest border,” said Wolf.
He added, “This is not about immigration. This has everything to do with American’s health. Making sure American citizens are safe and for keeping DHS front-line officers safe. It allows us to turn these individuals around, send them back to their home countries in a very, very expedited manner, and in the process, saving lives.”
For example, during the border crisis last year, when about 100,000 people were being apprehended a month, about 30,000 were in holding facilities. Today, said border officials, there are 100.
To estimate the potential for further virus spread had the border not been shut down and thousands were still being held, DHS said one infected migrant would have exposed 426 others in the process of being apprehended, put in a holding cell, and then transferred out.
.@POTUS’s border policies are working. We are protecting the American people, our front-line employees, and those in our care and custody from #COVID19. @kilmeade pic.twitter.com/GUXSnCtH3n
— Acting Secretary Chad Wolf (@DHS_Wolf) May 20, 2020
And, they said, that does not include border and immigration officials or those in the towns and cities where the illegal immigrants are transferred to while awaiting their legal cases to enter the U.S. to continue.
Officials said that now if an immigrant in a facility appears to have COVID-19 symptoms, the person can be isolated and seen by a doctor.
Wolf, whose agency also implements the travel bans on flights or entry from China, Europe, Iran, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Brazil, said with the economy starting to reopen, said that now isn’t the time to also reopen the border.
“We need these travel restrictions today more than ever,” he said, adding, “President Trump has been very clear. He is always going to put the health and welfare of the American people first.”
