Unvaccinated illegal immigrants threaten the nation's health

The ongoing border crisis under the Biden administration has seen an unprecedented increase in illegal immigration, with more than 5 million people released into the country since January 2021. This situation has raised significant security concerns, the economy and social stability of the country. However, a less discussed but equally critical crisis is the public health threat posed by the lack of vaccinations among the millions of migrants who enter the country illegally.

Although immigration laws stipulate vaccination requirements, these are not being enforced or administered to illegal immigrants. This oversight has turned migrant centers into hotspots for preventable infectious disease outbreaks. In addition, the health care facilities of the United States are overwhelmed by illegal immigrants suffering from diseases previously eradicated in the country.

Legal immigrants are required to test vaccination against several communicable diseases, including COVID-19, mumps, measles, polio and hepatitis B. However, the lack of these requirements for illegal immigrants has led to a resurgence of such diseases as mumps, measles. , tuberculosis and even polio. The impact of these outbreaks extends beyond migrant shelters, affecting federal, state and municipal officials, civil servants, contractors, volunteers, school teachers and other citizens.

Tuberculosis, a serious and often fatal disease, is seeing a resurgence in the US, with a 19% increase in Santa Clara County, California, from 2022 to 2023. Thousands of migrant children infected with TB have been released in 44 states without treatment, poses a significant risk to public health.

Cities like New York and Chicago, which have received large numbers of illegal immigrants, have reported spikes in diseases other than tuberculosis, including chicken pox, measles, mumps and whooping cough. Experts argue that bringing the millions of illegal migrants up to date with vaccination requirements will save lives and money, as the health savings from vaccines often outweigh the costs.