NTF issue paper: illegal84.doc. 3-20.
NEBRASKA TAXPAYERS FOR FREEDOM ISSUE PAPER:
ILLEGAL ALIENS PRESENT A CORONAVIRUS MENACE.
BACKGROUND. The coronavirus is sweeping across the U.S., infecting citizens in an increasing number of states, and showing no sign of disappearing soon. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has determined that the virus presents a serious public health threat. The potential for widespread transmission of the virus by infected individuals seeking to enter the U.S. threatens the security of our economy, infrastructure, and national defense. We have an obligation as patriotic citizens to demand secure borders, to stop illegal aliens who may carry the virus from crossing our borders and infecting our citizens, and limiting its spread. We must protect our public health from illegals carrying the coronavirus and other communicable diseases.
A THREAT ALREADY. Our objective must shield the American people from alien diseases, not offer to treat for free at taxpayer expense hundreds of thousands from the most disease-prone regions of the world. Over 31,000 medical referrals made for illegal aliens at our border in 2019, straining our hospitals and local county emergency medical personnel, up from 12,000 in 2018. Over the past years, numerous cases detected of chicken pox, tuberculosis, scabies, and lice among illegals. In one case, a teenager arrived at a medical clinic at the Texas border with a vile-smelling wound on his foot, full of maggots, which a pediatrician warned could cause the teen to lose his leg. At the same clinic, a young girl arrived with a 105 degree fever, a cough, and chills. A rotating medical team near the southern California border discovered hundreds of cases of communicable diseases and other conditions in the first 2 months of 2019, including 362 cases of lice, 113 cases of scabies, 22 cases of flu, and 4 cases of chicken pox. Illegal aliens arriving from the most disease-ridden parts of rural Central America, released within 10 days of detention with medical care, endangering Americans. Some may not exhibit symptoms during their brief stay before amnestied into our communities but carry coronavirus. It is difficult to believe that the illegals we do not apprehend have a lower rate of infectious diseases. According to the Tijuana Health Department, 1/3 of the caravan migrants who stayed in the region awaiting asylum received treatment for health issues, including tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, chicken pox, lice, skin infections, and hepatitis. Though liberal defenders of open borders conveniently claim that these countries have high rates of vaccinations, the CDC notes, “Access to basic health care in Central America largely depends on socioeconomic status and environment (urban or rural).” The migrants crossing over now are among the poorest families from rural areas, mostly from the indigenous population, who are centuries behind us in health standards and education levels. Immigration Commissioner McAleenan said during testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, “Migrants travel north from countries where poverty and disease are rampant,” and large numbers of them “may have never seen a doctor, received immunizations, or lived in sanitary conditions.” Moreover, these countries of origin lie prone to other diseases for which there are no vaccines, such as chagas, dengue fever, malaria, chikungunya, and Zika virus. Almost every one of these migrants, up to 1 million a year, being released into our communities and schools indefinitely. Two congressional committees held hearings on the measles outbreak in America. This disease long ago eradicated from the U.S. An external migration has brought in these diseases, whereby those who do not vaccinate may contract these illnesses. Though some of the infection can come from anywhere in the world through travel of domestic non-vaccinators, it is conceivable that much of this recent resurgence in near-obsolete diseases is entering through our southern border, where large numbers of migrants are arriving from places currently experiencing outbreaks and then resettling across our country. Currently, we permanently allow in these people and after their hospital stays, almost all released into our communities.1
THE DANGER. In May, 2019, the Border Patrol nabbed 133,541 illegal aliens crossing our southern border. Because of an overloading of detention facilities, together with liberal judge decrees, the system released many illegals into our communities pending approval to remain, this process named catch-and-release. Liberal judges still releasing despite the unmistakable knowledge that their decisions inevitably will lead to a worsening spread of the coronavirus in our country. Border Patrol agents will become exposed to the virus. Over 150,000 illegal immigrants from 72 nations with cases of the coronavirus already apprehended or deemed inadmissible from entering the U.S. since November, 2019, raising the ongoing border crisis to a public health threat. New figures show that over 50% of the almost 300,000 illegal aliens apprehended or deemed inadmissible in FY 2019-20 came from nations with cases of the coronavirus, including Red China, Italy, Iran, and South Korea. The Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) has tried to deport and repatriate many of them. An unknown but significant number of illegals are sneaking through undetected, Border Patrol agents say. “The journey to the U.S. border puts migrants in poor conditions,” a DHS official told The Washington Times. “We don’t know if they have come into contact with someone who has the flu, there is no passport, medical history, or travel manifest.” Screening is impossible for those evading detection at our border.2 Illegals are pouring into our country daily from Mexico, and we have no means to screen those illegal aliens for contagious diseases to keep them out of the U.S. Illegals will not voluntarily submit to coronavirus testing, because they fear deportation.
TRUMP ACTIONS. President Trump already has taken many actions to reduce illegal immigration. However, CDC numbers caused the Administration to correctly declare a border security crisis. He took the extraordinary step of negotiating agreements with the Mexican and Guatemalan governments, because the liberal House majority was unwilling to work with him to resolve the crisis. The main agreement from this effort was the Remain-in-Mexico policy, which caused illegal border crossings to drop exponentially, effectively ending the catch-and-release policy. If a court order restores this policy, the floodgates to increased illegal immigration will burst wide open, and some immigrants crossing our border will bring the coronavirus with them. Trump reminded us that Congress passed a law in 1894 updating mandates on quarantining vessels suspected of containing those with diseases to ensure that the American population never would appear in danger. Section 7 of the act says: “Whenever it shall be shown to the satisfaction of the President that by reason of the existence of cholera or other infectious diseases or contagious diseases in a foreign country there is serious danger of the introduction of the same into the United States, and that notwithstanding the quarantine defense this danger is so increased by the introduction of persons or property from such country that a suspension of the right to introduce the same is demanded in the interest of the public health, the President shall have power to prohibit, in whole or in part, the introduction of persons and property from such countries or places as he shall designate and for such period of time as he may deem necessary.” Similar to statute, 8 U.S.C. 1182(f), giving the president authority to end immigration for any period of time, at will, when he believes it is in the national interest: “Whenever the President finds that the entry of any aliens or of any class of aliens into the United States would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, he may by proclamation, and for such period as he shall deem necessary, suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants or nonimmigrants, or impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem to be appropriate.” The Supreme Court ruled in 2018 that there are no limitations on this power and cited the Sale v. Haitian Centers Council, Inc. (1993) case, which concluded that this power superseded even asylum law. The President should make a televised address based on the new information disseminated by the Border Patrol and make the case for fully suspending all immigration requests and processing at or inside our southern border. Then he should defend this unquestionable executive power. No judge has the power to prevent the president from forbidding anyone to land on our shores or cross our land borders. 3 If the President sends troops to the Mexican border to stem the tide of illegals rushing in, the courts have no jurisdiction. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) already announced the deployment of 160 troops to the border. CBP will deploy 80 active-duty troops to San Diego’s San Ysidro border crossing and 80 to El Paso’s Paso del Norte bridge to assist agents with repelling a potential rush at the border seeking to avoid coronavirus border closure. Warning of the “amassment of large groups in Mexico with the potential to forcibly enter the U.S.,” the statement said the troops would provide “military police support, engineer, and aviation support” to customs agents manning those two ports of entry.4 Though the CBP follows protocols to screen illegals, it declined to answer if these aliens held for the duration of the incubation period rules out that they are carrying coronavirus.5 Trump has authority to keep out the increase in single adult Mexicans and Central American teens and kids traveling alone. The total of all these factors makes this the most auspicious time for Trump to publicly and categorically vouch for his inherent authority to shut off immigration completely at our southern border. He should deploy even more soldiers and state unambiguously that no court can compel outcomes that endanger public health.6 On Jan. 31, 2020, President Trump issued an executive order suspending the entry of people from other countries whose inhabitants pose a risk of transmitting coronavirus. The Secretary of Homeland Security will establish standards and procedures to ensure the application and implementation of this order at U.S. seaports and at all ports of entry. Trump must expand this order to the Mexican border immediately.
TAXPAYER COST. Taxpayers are paying to construct new health care facilities at the southern border to treat illegal aliens with dangerous diseases, who expose our citizens to many infectious diseases we already had eliminated years ago. This financial burden will skyrocket, if masses of illegals infected with coronavirus flood across the Mexican border.
OPPONENTS. Liberal open-borders groups have many lawsuits in the pipeline to eradicate immigration control, groups that, while we are ending incoming travel from Europe, believe we should welcome thousands from Central America and other countries through our land border and expose our border officials and public to a pandemic.7 The liberal think tank Center for American Progress opposes allowing immigration officers to arrest illegal aliens visiting health facilities because of coronavirus infections. The group urged DHS to issue a formal public statement that Immigration and Customs Enforcement and CBP employees will not arrest illegals at hospitals, health care facilities, and coronavirus testing sites. Its request came soon after 8 Democrat senators submitted letters that asked DHS and its agencies to ban personnel from all health facilities where immigrants might seek help.8 Liberal groups whine that Trump walls will not stop coronavirus from entering the U.S., but strong border security makes it harder for contagious people who have coronavirus to make an illegal entry. It is impossible to determine how many aliens have succeeded in making undetected, illegal entries outside the more than 300 official land, air, and sea ports of entry. It is a certainty, however, that keeping out of the country as many illegal aliens with coronavirus as possible will save lives and curtail infection.9 Trump linked the coronavirus outbreak to Democrat immigration policies, labeling Democrat attacks on his swift handling of the crisis a “new hoax.” He accused the Democrats of “politicizing the coronavirus,” calling it “their new hoax” after the Russian investigation and impeachment. “We are doing everything in our power to keep the infection and those carrying the infection from entering the country. We have no choice,” Trump said at the Coliseum and Performing Arts Center. “Whether it’s the virus that we’re talking about, or the many other public health threats, the Democrat policy of open borders is a direct threat to the health and well-being of all Americans.”
CHICOM CONNECTION. Red Chinese illegal aliens routinely are sneaking into the U.S. 1,155 Red Chinese nationals caught entering illegally at our southern border during the first 4 months of this fiscal year. In January, a group intercepted by the Coast Guard. Illegal aliens from Red China try to enter the U.S. by being smuggled in cars through official border crossings, though an increasing number now snared by the Border Patrol in our interior. In one case this January, agents stopped a pickup truck and found 10 Chinese migrants piled on top of each other, along with 5 Mexican migrants. The truck driver was trying to avoid detection by blending in with border wall construction crews. Red Chinese illegal aliens pose numerous potential security threats at our Mexican border, not only because of health reasons but also because of spying and subversion threats. The Border Patrol report them routinely running from apprehension, but, upon capture, claiming asylum. These border crossers should become barred the same as Europeans. Illegal entries by Chinese nationals are rising all across our border with Mexico. The number of these migrants apprehended at the border in 2019 totaled over 4,000, and because for every alien apprehended, 3 make it across undetected, it is likely that 12,000 Red Chinese nationals illegally entered the U.S. in 2019. This presents a health crisis of staggering proportions, and without a secure southern border, we have no way to protect the health of American citizens from this scourge.10
TAKE ACTION NOW. It is indisputable that Third World migrants coming from south of our border pose an imminent danger to our citizenry through the spread of the coronavirus. The minimum requirement we must have for a safe, sane, and healthy immigration policy is preventing contagious diseases from entering the U.S. For that, we must have secure borders. Using the above content, contact your representative and 2 senators today to urge them to press the President to close our southern border to immigration during this period of the coronavirus health plague. Email netaxpayers@gmail.com for congressional contact information and join our NTF President Watch Project.
Research, documentation, and analysis for this issue paper done by Nebraska Taxpayers for Freedom. This material copyrighted by Nebraska Taxpayers for Freedom, with express prior permission granted for its use by other groups in the NE Conservative Coalition Network. 3-20. C