Fox "news" has to keep their viewers in a constant state of agitation, and since Joe Biden was elected and they no longer have an endless supply of Trump tweets to regurgitate, the network has been running endless segments every hour on the hour fearmongering over the increase in the number of migrants coming across the border, attacking New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, attacking Biden and Democrats and lying about the relief bill, and drumming up feigned outrage over ridiculous crap like Dr. Seuss and Mr. Potato Head.
During yet another fearmongering segment over the migrants coming across our southern border this Sunday, Fox's Maria Bartiromo quoted an article from the Washington (a.k.a. Moonie) Times, claiming that "migrants flooding across U.S. border with as much as 10 times the COVID-19 rate as Americans," and even Abbott wasn't willing to play along with Bartiromo.
After repeating a claim she said she heard from border agents that a local congresswoman had told them "not to carry machine guns" because it was making migrants "feel threatened," which the congresswoman denied, Bartiromo asked Abbott whether that was "putting our agents in harm's way" and whether the report was accurate or not.
Abbott responded by saying that the border patrol "need all their weapons, and then attacking the Biden administration for not vaccinating border agents quickly enough to suit him. Sadly, it doesn't seem Abbott has the same concern for the teachers in his state that he has for border agents.
Bartiromo then asked Abbott for his reaction to the Moonie Times article, and although Abbott wasn't willing to back up their assertion, he was more than willing to again bash the Biden administration, and use the pandemic as an excuse to attack migrants.
So you raise a point that I am expecting answers from the Biden administration immediately this week. We need the total number of migrants who have been apprehended at the border who have tested positive for covid-19.
The state of Texas is responsible for fully reporting out anybody in our state who has covid-19. The Biden administration has refused and failed to give to our state the total number of migrants who have covid-19.
We expect that data and we expect the Biden administration to step up and assist the state of Texas in being able to respond to that imported challenge, imported only because of the change in policies by the Biden administration.
According to reporting by the Associated Press, there is no evidence that migrants are significantly spreading the coronavirus at the border:
Two HHS contractors in Texas who were not authorized to speak to the media say the positivity rates for children are generally 8% or below, which is lower than the current statewide test rate. Children who test positive are isolated until they are clear of the virus.
The infection rates for all arriving immigrants are lower than for Texas as a whole, local officials and nonprofit groups serving those families say.
In the border city of Brownsville, Mayor Trey Mendez said last week that about 6% of immigrants tested positive at the local bus station. In McAllen, Sister Norma Pimentel of the local Catholic Charities chapter said around one family in a group of 100 people typically tests positive and is directed to isolate in a local hotel.
Both Cameron and Hidalgo counties — where Brownsville and McAllen are located — currently have test positivity rates of about 10%.
Texas has lifted state-wide COVID safety measures and allowed restaurants to go back to 100 percent capacity, but they're sill fearmongering over migrants spreading the disease and will try to blame them if the numbers go back up in the state.
Race-baiting is always easier for Republicans than taking personal responsibility for your actions. To no one's surprise, Bartitomo also let Abbott off the hook for his state's disastrous response to the storms that recently crippled the region. She didn't ask him a single question about how his residents are recovering, or the price gouging that's gone on.
