Almost one-third of illegal immigrants detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have refused to take a coronavirus vaccine.
According to Fox News, quoting an ICE officer, the vaccination refusal rate in all detention facilities is 30%.
As of Wednesday, ICE has recorded 1,376 COVID-19 instances among prisoners presently detained. As of the week ending July 16, the overall number of prisoners detained by ICE stood at 27,067.
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ICE records show that 1,095 COVID-19 instances (79.5 percent of the total) were documented in facilities supervised by field offices in San Antonio, El Paso, Houston, Phoenix, and San Diego. Another 69 cases have been reported at six hotels utilised as temporary migrant accommodations.
It is unknown how many prisoners were given the vaccination. However, Axios reported last week that the ICE had delivered more than 95 percent of a 10,000-dose supply of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine.
Coincidentally, individuals in ICE detention have a somewhat higher immunisation rate than eligible Americans. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 68.6 percent of US adults have gotten at least one vaccination dose, while 65.9 percent of eligible Americans (those aged 12 and over) have received at least one shot.
Lawmakers have expressed worry that the continuing influx of illegal immigrants along the southern border would result in a rise in coronavirus infections, especially given the presence of the highly infectious Delta variant.
In June, moreover, 188,000 illegal immigrants were arrested at the US-Mexico border, the largest monthly number in at least 22 years.
Meanwhile, individuals detained at the border are increasingly being released into the United States. The Washington Post exclusively revealed Thursday that four bus firms operating out of the border city of McAllen, Texas, have added six daily trips to meet demand.
According to McAllen City Manager Roy Rodriguez, demand for tickets is at an all-time high, with most of it coming from immigrants arrested crossing the border illegally and freed awaiting future court appearances.
The city manager further pointed out that a clearing facility operated by Catholic Charities accommodates 7,000 people each week, with half departing by bus and the other half by aircraft.
So far, the Biden administration has resisted calls from immigration advocates to repeal Title 42, which was signed into law by then-President Donald Trump in March 2020 and allows US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to deport migrants in order to prevent the virus from spreading in detention centres.
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Unaccompanied children and certain family groups, on the other hand, have been allowed to stay in the United States after crossing the border.
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