Texas border city struggles with COVID-19 outbreak at migrant shelter

A Texas border city is warning that it has been nearly overrun with a coronavirus outbreak at a migrant shelter, and that could potentially create an even bigger problem.

Texas Democrat State Senator Judith Zaffirini has revealed that a migrant center in Loredo had 172 immigrants quarantined after testing positive.

Breitbart reported:

Dr. Trevino further argues that a balance needs to be found between the humanitarian efforts of the shelters and the broader community health impacts.

Laredo Health Director Richard Chamberlain advised the council that a total of 336 migrants tested positive for COVID-19 at the Holding Institute and at a Catholic Charities shelter as of Sunday, July 11. Honduran migrants constitute most of the positive cases.

Laredo Fire Chief Guillermo Heard noted that migrants arriving from Rio Grande Valley are screened, tested, and offered vaccines at the shelters. From the shelter, they are transferred to the Laredo airport or bus terminal.

Mayor Pete Saenz asked Acting Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Troy Miller to immediately suspend the migrant transfers from the Rio Grande Valley, arguing the community is under-prepared without federal help. In his closing remarks, Mayor Saenz indicated that CBP Acting Commissioner Miller agreed to suspend the transfers for three days but are scheduled to resume on July 15.

Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott went scorched earth on Joe Biden over his failure at the U.S.-Mexico border.

During an interview on Fox News, Abbott blamed Biden for “open borders” and ignoring a growing surge of deadly fentanyl at the southern border.

Host Maria Bartiromo asked: “I want to get your take on the 90,000 overdoses that we saw. Of these overdoses, 60% are due to fentanyl. Fentanyl’s coming over the border, isn’t that right?”

“Well, you were there. You saw it. I mean, the border patrol agents are doing their best but they’re being pushed towards the logistics of dealing with all the people they have to take care of, as opposed to deporting people. So now you have open of borders,” Paxton said.

“You have the ability for the cartels to more easily transport drugs because the border agents aren’t able to focus on this. We are going to have more overdoses, more drug trafficking, and more sex trafficking in the United States, not just on the border,” he added.

“Its wide-open borders is the issue here and the fentanyl is coming through the border and of course the underlying chemicals of that fentanyl being made in China. So it’s the criminal cartels in China and Mexico as a result we’re seeing more than 90,000 deaths from overdose. Very, very sad situation,” he said.