Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday claimed “hundreds” of migrants positive for COVID-19 were released into Texas communities — a statement colored with political undertones. Nonprofit organizations helping migrants released in the Valley from federal custody offered a much lower figure.
“The Biden Administration is recklessly releasing hundreds of illegal immigrants who have COVID into Texas communities,” Abbott stated on social media. “The Biden Admin. must IMMEDIATELY end this callous act that exposes Texans & Americans to COVID.”
Migrants released from federal custody into local communities are only tested for the virus if they are symptomatic. Otherwise, they’re tested when they are released to the nonprofit organizations in the Rio Grande Valley.
Tests sent by the Texas Division of Emergency Management are administered upon arrival.
“I would say in a day’s time, we may have possibly five or six, and we have about 300 people,” Sister Norma Pimentel, executive director at Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, said, referring to the number of migrants who test positive daily.
Staff and nurses at the respite center are testing migrants in an area they set aside.
Pimentel said if they test negative, the migrants move into the respite center which can hold up to 600 people during the pandemic.
A taxi will show up and drive those who test positive to a hotel that has an agreement with CCRGV to act as a filter and allow migrants to quarantine until they test negative, Pimentel said.
“They cannot leave until they test negative,” Pimentel said. “We tell them that in order to continue in the United States, whether by plane or bus, we need to make sure that they are negative to protect themselves and everybody else.”
Pimentel said her personal policy is to ensure people who tested positive are clear before leaving the Valley.
CCRGV also set up a hotel in Brownsville, another city where migrants are released from federal custody at their bus station. Migrants who test positive there can be sent to quarantine, but they’re not under Pimentel’s policy.
“I make sure that we follow a certain protocol that we establish,” Pimentel said, referring to operations in McAllen, “but the city of Brownsville needs to decide that. I don’t know what they’re doing.”
City of Brownsville employees oversee the area at the bus station where Customs and Border Protection drops off migrants daily. They also administer COVID-19 tests sent by the state.
So far, out of 1,267 tests administered, 169 were positive for COVID-19, or 13%.
“What we do is direct them to the NGOs and the nonprofit organizations that are assisting and helping advise them of giving them the information of what’s available to quarantine,” said Felipe Romero, the public information officer with the city of Brownsville.
While a hotel is offered, Romero said the city does not provide transportation. Details on how the migrants can get to the hotel are unclear.
Romero said most are gone within the hour.
Loaves & Fishes, a Harlingen shelter, also shelters migrants, but less frequently. Bill Reagan, the executive director, said they received two groups on Feb. 18 and 19.
A private group, though the city provides some financial support, conducts COVID-19 testing at the shelter, but they leave at a certain hour.
“The ones who came on the 19th came too late to test. But, on the 18th, we did test. And of the 49 who came that day, 13 had a positive test result,” Reagan said.
The shelter, which serves primarily as a homeless shelter, took no chances. “We sent everybody to the hotel,” Reagan said, though normally they only send people who test positive.
“My experience is,” the executive director continued, “and I think this is what it’s going to be, even if they have a positive test, they’re going to get themselves on a bus or a plane and leave, either the same day or the next day. That’s what happened with this group.”
On Wednesday, the city of Harlingen considered opening up a city building to shelter released migrants if the homeless shelter is overtaxed.
“We wouldn’t take into the building who tested positive. We put them in a hotel,” The hotel works with the shelter, Reagan said.
Abbott’s tweet calling on the federal government to address the COVID concerns followed his highly-anticipated announcement that will end the face mask mandate requiring Texans to wear the face shields in public. Businesses will have the option to require them from their clientele. Currently, face masks are the only requirements on buses and airplanes for those traveling.
Federal officials are attentive to border communities shouldering federal responsibilities.
Pimentel said she was visited by officials from the Department of Homeland Security last week.
She said they found McAllen’s system at the respite center to be “a perfect model that they want to duplicate throughout the whole border, and that they would take responsibility to make sure that this was done right from this point forward.”
The federal government plan could free up Pimentel’s staff and nurses. “Not only replicating, but they really want to provide,” Pimentel said of DHS, “to be able to do it themselves by subcontracting with somebody to do the work. So, we don’t have to worry about it anymore.”
There’s no set timeline, but the urgency is needed, Pimentel noted. “I’m pushing for it to be yesterday. I think it’s going to happen very soon.”
