Mass Migration And Disease Spread

550 African migrants were just caught in Texas. DHS head says they aren’t being screened for Ebola

Daniel Horowitz

The border crisis is no longer exclusively a problem of illegal Central American migrants. As word spreads of the collapse of border enforcement, the number of migrants from Africa continues to increase. The threat of bringing in dangerous diseases is higher than ever, yet there are no mandatory and universal screenings, quarantines, or detention before illegal immigrants are released into our communities, often within hours.

According to preliminary weekly data used internally by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and given to CR by a Border Patrol agent who must remain anonymous because he is not authorized to speak to the press, over 550 African migrants were apprehended in Texas in just one week – from May 30 through June 5. The lion’s share were from the Democratic Republic of Congo, the country with the worst Ebola outbreak in the world. Here’s the breakdown:

Angola – 101
Cameroon – 6
Democratic Republic of Congo – 314
Gabon – 1
Niger – 1
Republic of Congo – 130

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), not to be confused with the smaller separate nation of “Republic of Congo,” which is to the immediate west of DRC, is currently experiencing the worst Ebola outbreak ever. As of June 4, according to the World Health Organization, there were a total of 2,025 confirmed and reported cases of Ebola, including 1,357 reported deaths.

In addition to Ebola, the DRC is experiencing 87,000 cases of measles, claiming the lives of 1,500. Angola and Cameroon are also experiencing measles outbreaks, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Yet local media in San Antonio reported on Friday that hundreds of these African migrants were seen dropped off at bus stations in San Antonio. I confirmed with CBP last week that there is no special screening, extra scrutiny, or quarantine required of those coming from African countries more than from anywhere else.

Overall, a record 20,274 illegal aliens were apprehended in Texas during this seven-day period. That is an annualized pace of over one million just for the state of Texas. Honduras had the highest single-country total, accounting for 38 percent of all illegal immigrants caught in the Lone Star State. Honduras is experiencing a mumps outbreak, and many of the caravans left from San Pedro Sula, a northern Honduran town that had 1,336 reported cases of mumps as of April. As of Monday, Arizona officials confirmed 47 cases of mumps in Pinal County, mainly in ICE facilities, a 10-year high for the state. Dan McLaughlin, the mayor of Uvalde, Texas, confirmed to CR at least two known cases among the illegal immigrants held in the detention facility in his city. According to a recent DHS inspector general report, there is “a high incidence of illness among the staff” in some facilities.

Also, as of May 29, there were 51 confirmed cases of mumps among the general population in Hidalgo County, Texas, the busiest illegal alien smuggling corridor along the Southwest border. The disease has spread to every major city in the county.