The number of detainees who tested positive for COVID-19 in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Sector alone has increased by 900%, according to information obtained by Fox News.
There were 135 detainees who tested positive in the first two weeks of July alone, marking a 900% increase in confirmed positive cases compared to the previous 14 months.
The RGV sector is one of the main destinations for migrants crossing the border, seeing more than 2000 apprehensions each day and accounting for 60% of confirmed positive detainees in the U.S. Border Patrol custody.
This information was obtained exclusively from a slide distributed to RGV Border Patrol managers to share with agents to help them protect themselves from the virus.
In a local radio interview with KURV 710 AM Tuesday in McAllen, Texas, RGV Sector Chief Brian Hastings spoke about COVID cases among agents and said he’s had more than 40 of his agents test positive this fiscal year.
Border Patrol does not typically test migrants when they are initially taken into custody — instead they are tested when they are transferred, either to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) custody if they are unaccompanied children, or to nongovernmental organizations if they are part of a family unit for transport into the U.S. – READ MORE
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