TEXAS, USA — According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents, there has been a spike in large groups of migrants, defined as 100 people or more traveling together, trying to make their way into the United States.
As the size of those groups grow, it leaves some to speculate on the impact it has on rising COVID-19 numbers.
Those who patrol the 19 counties that make up the Rio Grande Valley Sector of CBP have encountered nearly 80 such groups this year, with the largest so far detained Monday in Starr County, about 30 miles west of Mission.
That group was made up of nearly 300 people, just part of the more than 15,000 individuals apprehended in the Rio Grande Valley in one week’s time.
With numbers like that, you may be wondering whether there is also a surge in COVID cases because of those groups.
When asked, a CBP spokesperson would only say that “suspected COVID-19 cases are referred to local health systems for appropriate testing, diagnosis and treatment.”
The City of Laredo has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security in order to keep the agency from sending them migrants from the Rio Grande Valley. They cite an increase in positive rates, jumping from 4% in May to 8% in July.
A quick look shows that the number of coronavirus cases being reported by the state along our border counties is certainly up.
To be fair, though, the climbing case rates are being seen across Texas as the Delta variant gains traction – with the hardest hit being those who are not fully vaccinated.
However, RGV counties aren't in the top five for active cases in Texas.
In a state that remains below the national average in full vaccinations, health officials continue to say that getting the COVID vaccine is still the best way to protect yourself.
For the latest updates on coronavirus in the Coastal Bend, click here.
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