Texas resident rips Biden's 'truly shameful' immigration policies
Brownsville, Texas resident Luis Cavazos claims coronavirus positive migrants are being released in Texas.
President Biden’s immigration policies are "truly shameful," a Texas resident who lives near the border said on Thursday, reacting to a report that more than 100 illegal immigrants released by the Border Patrol into Texas were infected with coronavirus.
"You know, it's truly incredible. I was raised here in Brownsville, Texas. ... And it's pretty sad because a lot of the migrants that are here with us today in the city of Brownsville, they're being put on buses and they're being sent all over the nation," Cavazos told "Fox & Friends."
Cavazos said that bus drivers do not know the people who "go on the buses," claiming they do "not know" who may have been infected with coronavirus.
"And the federal government is putting no accountability with it. It's truly shameful, to be honest with you. And it's truly shameful that the Joe Biden administration, currently, is doing nothing for the local residents of the city of Brownsville."
More than 100 illegal immigrants released by the Border Patrol into Texas since late January have tested positive for the coronavirus following their arrival, officials in a city on the U.S.-Mexico border tell Fox News.
Felipe Romero, a spokesperson for Brownsville, said Wednesday that the 108 positives represent 6.3% of the number of total migrants who have been rapid-tested at the city’s main bus station, where they are being released by the Border Patrol. Rapid testing of the individuals began there on Jan. 25.
He added that Brownsville does not have the authority to prevent those who test positive from traveling elsewhere in the U.S. -- and are advising them to quarantine, follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines and socially distance.
Sources at the White House told Fox News on Wednesday it is aware of instances where individuals may continue to travel despite testing positive and being told to quarantine -- yet the federal guidance remains for them to isolate.
The sources said the coronavirus testing near the border is being handled by state and local governments in conjunction with non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
The city of Brownsville also told Noticias Telemundo Investiga that it is advising migrants who test positive to go to NGOs and nonprofits in the area for help with finding shelter and places they can isolate themselves from others. The local county-wide positivity rate is estimated to be 13.8%.
Migrant families who tested positive and spoke to that news organization at the bus station said they were waiting to travel to places such as Maryland and New Jersey.
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Cavazos said the migrants getting on city buses is "awful" because they could infect older American citizens who rely on that transportation.
"They don't know who's got COVID-19 and who doesn't. And, you know, everybody sitting shoulder to shoulder, you know, and to be honest with you, a lot of these masks, they're not going to help," Cavazos said.
"You're putting at risk the bus driver, you're putting at risk the local citizens like myself, including like my uncle, you know, who is over the age of 80. He uses the bus. And to be honest with you, a lot of people that use the bus system are people that are a lot older and not vaccinated."
Fox News' Greg Norman, Griff Jenkins contributed to this report
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