(The Center Square) â More than 7,000 COVID-positive migrants have been released into the border town of McAllen, Texas, by Border Patrol since February, with more than 1,500 in the past week, the city reported Wednesday.
As a result, McAllen officials said Wednesday it is building new temporary shelters to deal with a "rapidly escalating" surge of RIMs (refugees, immigrants and migrants) who have entered the U.S. illegally through McAllen and were released by Border Patrol, stretching city resources thin.
"Since mid-February of 2021 there have been over 7,000 confirmed COVID-19 positive immigrants released into the city of McAllen by [Customs and Border Protection], including over 1,500 new cases in the past seven days," the city said.