Report: CBP Turned Back 10K Migrants Under Coronavirus Policy

A group of individuals are returned to Mexico after being encountered by U.S. Border patro
CBP Photo by Jerry Glaser

The Washington Post reports that U.S. Customs and Border Protection law enforcement officials returned nearly 10,000 migrants to Mexico after they illegally crossed the border. The newspaper called the returns “summary deportations” and “expulsions” that were carried out under emergency public health orders that are being used to bypass regular immigration and asylum laws and regulations.

The Washington Post reports that the Trump Administration “carried out nearly 10,000 summary deportations or ‘expulsions’ since March 21, using emergency public health measures.” The article states the figures came from CBP officials. Breitbart Texas has not independently verified these numbers.

The article also states that CBP now has only 100 migrants in custody.

CBP officials and Border Patrol agents have previously told Breitbart Texas that nearly everyone being apprehended at the border, regardless of nationality or citizenship and including unaccompanied minors, are being returned to Mexico after a brief processing by Border Patrol agents.

“To help prevent the introduction of COVID-19 into our border facilities and into our country, individuals encountered between ports of entry after illegally crossing the border are no longer being held in congregate areas for processing and instead, to the maximum extent feasible, are being immediately returned to their country of last transit, a CBP spokesman told Breitbart Texas in response to an inquiry (emphasis added by CBP). “Additionally, all persons currently in CBP custody who meet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) COVID-19 travel history and enhanced screening guidelines are being referred to the CDC for additional health screening. CBP takes all necessary precautions to ensure that no communicable diseases are spread across populations in custody.”

Despite these policies that return nearly every illegal border crosser to Mexico, the number of migrants apprehended by Border Patrol agents in March fell only by 121, Breitbart Texas reported on Thursday. The numbers of family migrants and unaccompanied minors apprehended fell slightly, but the number of single adults illegally crossing and being apprehended actually increased to its highest level this year with 26,637 adult migrants being arrested by Border Patrol agents.

During a press conference on Thursday, CBP Acting-Commissioner Mark Morgan told reporters regarding the return to Mexico policy, “This is not about immigration. This is about public health. This is about putting forth aggressive mitigation and containment strategies.”

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior news contributor for the Breitbart Texas-Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday-morning talk show. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook.

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