Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez is calling on the Biden administration to stop releasing COVID-19 positive illegal immigrants into Texas.
“We have been doing well as a community in slowing the spread of this deadly virus,” Cortez said. “But ill-conceived policies by both the federal and state governments are beginning to have serious consequences on Hidalgo County. I call on federal immigration officials to stop releasing infected migrants into our community.”
“We now face a potential crisis because of the federal policy of releasing infected migrants into our community,” he added.
Cortez’s remarks come on the heals of the Biden administration releasing thousands of illegal immigrants into American communities. According to a report from Axios, the administration has released roughly 50,000 illegal immigrants into the United States without a court date. Moreover, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has also recorded over 21,000 COVID-19 cases within their detention facilities.
.@JudgeCortez: "I call on federal immigration officials to stop releasing infected migrants into our community and I am further calling on Governor Abbott to return to Hidalgo County the safety tools he took away that would help us slow the spread of this disease.” #rgv pic.twitter.com/RbY5Xtm4q3
— Dave Hendricks (@dmhj) July 27, 2021
During his remarks, Cortez also appealed to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, asking that he return to Hidalgo County “safety tools” such as the ability to implement mask mandates.
“I am further calling on Governor Abbott to return to Hidalgo County the safety tools he took away that would help us slow the spread of this disease,” he said.
Back in May, Abbott signed an executive order that prohibits government entities from implementing mask mandates, including in public schools.
“The Lone Star State continues to defeat COVID-19 through the use of widely-available vaccines, antibody therapeutic drugs, and safe practices utilized by Texans in our communities,” he said. “Texans, not government, should decide their best health practices, which is why masks will not be mandated by public school districts or government entities. We can continue to mitigate COVID-19 while defending Texans’ liberty to choose whether or not they mask up.”
