COVID-19 Rates Plunge as Decision Nears on US Asylum Limits

A young boy rests next to a long line of people waiting for clothes, food and supplies in a makeshift migrant camp in the border town of Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico on July 10, 2021. – There are about 1,000 people from Central America and other Latin American countries living in the camp, hoping for a chance to enter the United States. Republican lawmakers have slammed Biden for reversing Trump programs, including his “remain in Mexico” policy, which had forced thousands of asylum seekers from Central America to stay south of the US border until their claims were processed. (Photo by PAUL RATJE / AFP) (Photo by PAUL RATJE/AFP via Getty Images)

SOMERTON, Ariz. (AP) – COVID-19 rates are plunging among migrants crossing the border from Mexico as the Biden administration faces a decision to end or extend sweeping restrictions on asylum that are aimed at limiting the virus’ spread. Lower rates raise more questions about scientific grounds for a public health order that has caused migrants to be expelled from the United States more than 1.7 million times since March 2020 without a chance to request asylum. While there’s no aggregate rate for migrants, test results from several major corridors for illegal border crossings suggest it is well below levels that have triggered concerns among U.S. officials.