Key Takeaways:
– The Biden-Harris administration’s open border policies are posing threats to national security and public health.
– Judicial Watch has warned about the escalating health risks from unchecked migrants, including an increase in tuberculosis cases.
– There has been a 34% increase in tuberculosis cases in the US from 2020 to 2023.
– An alarming 76% of all TB cases in 2023 were in foreign-born patients.
– Medical practitioners warn of the high costs involved in treating the disease, which may rise to $500,000 for drug-resistant strains.
Border Policies and Public Health
Our government’s current policies regarding open borders and mass immigration pose a pressing threat, not just to American jobs, schools, and cities, but to the US’s health as well. The Biden-Harris administration, by opening the southern border and allowing millions of illegal immigrants to enter the United States, has been both applauded and critiqued.
The Contagion Factor
The administration has been critiqued by Judicial Watch, which states that these policies have led to the release of over half a million illegal immigrants with criminal records into communities across the US. Furthermore, the administration’s failure to adequately screen migrants could potentially lead to the spread of contagious diseases.
A Decade in Review: Obama to Biden
Over a decade ago, under Obama’s lax border policies, unaccompanied alien children were found to carry with them contagious diseases like swine flu, dengue fever, tuberculosis, and Ebola. Fast forward to the present day, the concern about national health has magnified under Biden and Kamala Harris amid an alarming surge in illegal immigration.
Immigrant Health and Public Safety
Apart from the challenges posed to national security, civilian safety, and taxpayer-funded programs, the mass immigration policy is proving detrimental to public health. Tuberculosis, a deadly lung disease once thought to have been wiped out in the US, is resurging, according to Judicial Watch.
Tuberculosis: The Forgotten Contagion
According to the Federation for American Immigration Reform, one key component of TB’s resurgence is open borders and mass immigration. The unregulated influx of migrants from countries with high TB rates is contributing to the disease’s spread in the US. Notably, even legal immigrants and refugees can carry latent TB, which can become active and spread once they’re in the United States.
Staggering Statistics
Cases of tuberculosis in the US saw a staggering increase of 34% from 2020 to 2023. Now, these numbers surpass those before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019. Unhappily, in 2023, a high 76% of TB cases involved foreign-born patients. Areas with large foreign-born populations accordingly experience higher rates of TB.
Inadequate Screening Measures
The government’s screening measures for TB at the borders have been criticised. In some cases, there isn’t any screening conducted at all. Certain regions in the US now have TB rates higher than those in high-risk countries like Afghanistan, Iraq, and Lebanon.
The Cost of Ignorance
Treating tuberculosis can be expensive. Treatment for standard infection averages around $20,000. However, if a patient contains a drug-resistant strain, expenses can escalate to $500,000. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has confirmed that immigration from countries with high TB rates plays a significant role in the epidemiology of the disease.
In conclusion, these findings signal the pressing need for the Biden-Harris administration to reevaluate immigration policies to ensure the health and safety of all American citizens.