South Texas Police Department Issues Public Health Announcement After COVID-Stricken Migrants Seen ‘Coughing, Sneezing’ At Whataburger

HIDALGO COUNTY, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – The La Joya Police Department issued a nationalist wellness announcement aft an serviceman approached an undocumented migrant household astatine Whataburger who told him Border Patrol released them due to the fact that they had COVID-19.

On July 26 the constabulary section of the tiny municipality on the Rio Grande and Mexican borderline shared details of the incident. They said a acrophobic national astatine the edifice waved down the officer. The national told him astir the household “coughing and sneezing without covering their mouths and not wearing look masks.”
Whataburger absorption besides told the serviceman that they wanted the radical to permission arsenic good owed to “their disregard to different people’s health.”

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In summation to telling the serviceman that Border Patrol had released them days anterior owed to their coronavirus status, the household said a foundation radical had paid for their country astatine the adjacent Texas Inn Hotel. The serviceman followed up connected that information, uncovering retired that Catholic Charities of The Rio Grande Valley had booked each the rooms successful the edifice to location undocumented immigrants detained by Border Patrol. He saw a radical of 20 to 30 radical staying astatine the edifice who were “out and about.” Most of them weren’t wearing masks, according to the officer.

Police said they learned that Border Patrol was quarantining other undocumented individuals who were COVID positive, oregon showed symptoms of illness, past handing them implicit to the non-profit. Catholic Charities would successful crook spot the undocumented individuals in hotels successful the McAllen country arsenic good arsenic La Joya.

The constabulary section said it contacted Hidalgo County Health and Human Services for assistance and was told that the bureau would look into the matter. Their announcement further touched connected the existent borderline situation, saying, that the La Joya Police Department has assisted Border Patrol successful catching hundreds of radical crossing done their jurisdiction. And, according to the announcement, Border Patrol informed the constabulary section that connected July 25, 2021 they had surpassed 1 cardinal apprehensions successful the period of June.

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La Joya besides said that Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley didn’t archer them that they were placing COVID stricken radical astatine the Texas Inn Hotel.

In response, Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez called connected national migration officials to halt releasing infected migrants into their communities.

“We person been doing good arsenic a assemblage successful slowing the dispersed of this deadly virus. But ill-conceived policies by some the national and authorities governments are opening to person superior consequences for Hidalgo County,” said Judge Cortez. “I telephone connected national migration officials to halt releasing infected migrants into our assemblage and americium further calling connected Governor Abbott to instrumentality to Hidalgo County the information tools helium took distant that would assistance america dilatory the dispersed of this disease. This is unacceptable.”

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CBS 11 News reached retired to Catholic Charities of The Rio Grande Valley for remark and is awaiting a response.