A new common strain of misinformation is being spread almost as fast as the COVID-19 virus itself….that Immigrants are the blame for the surging numbers of cases. New polling shows that this false and absurd narrative is being spun by the people who refuse to get vaccinated. 97% of hospitalizations from COVID-19 are Unvaccinated people, and the new defense mechanism for these individuals seems to be to deflect the blame onto foreigners. A poll released by Axios this week showed that roughly 40% of unvaccinated respondents identified “people from other countries traveling to the U.S.” as being to blame for the current surge in coronavirus cases. It’s was the leading response as to who is to blame for the rising cases, followed by the “mainstream media” (another incredibly dumb answer) being the culprit with 28% of responses.
There has been a surge in activity at the Southern Border which has created ammunition for these type of Fox News phony narrative nuggets which the Unvaccinated population clings onto with joy. So far this fiscal year (which began last October), Customs and Border Protection data show that more than a million people have been apprehended by the Border Patrol. In June alone, there were more than 178,000. However, 40% of these apprehensions were of people who were apprehended at some point in the preceding 12 months and expelled from the country, which means that they weren’t walking around the United States spreading the coronavirus. The majority of those detained remain in the custody of federal, state or local officials, according to CBP data. Some are transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Others are turned over to local law enforcement because of outstanding warrants. The rest are given “humanitarian release,” with notices to appear for hearings within six months.
It’s this last tiny group of people, roughly 10%, those who crossed and were released with notices to appear, who are getting the finger pointed at them as being responsible for spreading the coronavirus. But even for these people, they are typically tested extensively not just upon arrival but often again after they leave CBP or ICE custody. Additionally, any detainees exhibiting symptoms of illness are tested and, if found to be covid-positive, quarantined. Every migrant who is transferred to ICE is also tested on arrival. Just like the spread of the virus needs to stop, the spread of these lies blaming immigrants for increased Covid-19 cases needs to stop just as quickly.
The third important part of that statement is that acknowledgment of the “partners in local communities” that do the work of moving people out of CBP custody. Which, in nearly every case, is how things work. Someone released from CBP custody is then bused to a nongovernmental organization that provides temporary shelter and assistance in arranging transportation to their destination elsewhere in the country, usually in places where their families live. And, in the past year, that process has generally included testing for the coronavirus.
