South Texas leaders press DHS Secretary Mayorkas to ‘stop the flow’ of asylum-seekers
Immigration
'This is urgent. We need immediate action," Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez said
by: Sandra Sanchez
Posted: Aug 12, 2021 / 05:56 PM CDT / Updated: Aug 12, 2021 / 06:41 PM CDT
BROWNSVILLE, Texas (Border Report) — Despite spending an hour with South Texas border officials in the Rio Grande Valley, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ visit Thursday still left many asking the Biden administration for more “urgent” solutions to a surge of asylum-seeking migrant families who are bringing coronavirus into the region.
Mayorkas on Thursday met with local mayors and county judges in McAllen, toured Anzalduas Park in Mission, Texas, where 1,000 migrant families are living, and he met with Sister Norma Pimentel, who runs the region’s largest migrant shelter. He then traveled to Brownsville, Texas, where he met with more law enforcement officials, as well as Border Patrol veteran Raul Ortiz, who on Saturday takes over as the agency’s 25th chief.
Local officials can’t force migrants who test positive for COVID-19 to isolate at park tents
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, flanked by new U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz and DHS Chief Medical Officer Pritesh Gandhi, address the media Thursday, Aug. 12, 2021, at a news conference about the current immigration situation on the U.S.-Mexico border at Fort Brown Border Patrol Station in Brownsville, Texas. (Denise Cathey/The Brownsville Herald via AP)
In a news conference held at the Border Patrol’s Fort Brown Station next to the Veterans International Bridge, Mayorkas told media that he is fully aware of the situation at the South Texas-Mexico border and that the Biden administration is working to implement meaningful plans to address concerns about a rise of COVID-19 cases among migrant families who are being released by DHS. But he said there is no quick fix and he intends to roll out more solutions in the coming days.
https://www.borderreport.com/hot-topics/immigration/south-texas-leaders-press-dhs-secretary-mayorkas-to-stop-the-flow-of-asylum-seekers/
