Guatemala health minister says more than half of deportees from U.S. have COVID-19

[SunSeeker]

Source: LA Times

More than half the deportees flown back to Guatemala by U.S. immigration authorities have tested positive for coronavirus, the top Guatemalan health official said Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters in Guatemala City, Hugo Monroy, the minister of health, did not specify a time frame or the total number of deportees who had arrived home with infections.

But hundreds of Guatemalans have been returned in recent weeks, including 182 who arrived Monday on two flights from Texas.

Monroy said that on one flight — which he declined to identify — more than 75% of the deportees tested positive.



Read more: https://ktla.com/news/california/guatemala-health-chief-says-more-than-half-of-deportees-from-u-s-have-covid-19/

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If this is true, then Trump has exported our disaster to one of the poorest countries in Central America, who is least able to deal with such an outbreak.

[progree]

1. Trump policy apparently is to keep the healthy exploitable laborers and send the rest back n/t

[5X]

2. kinda like giving infected blankets to native americans.

[avebury]

3. If true, Guatemala should go to the International Criminal Courts in the Hague and insist

that Donald Trump and administration be charged Crimes Against Humanity. Yes I know we are not part of the ICC but it would sure say a lot that a country would dare to make such a move against Trump.

[Native]

4. Were they tested after returning to Guatemala or before being sent back?

The article doesn't say. And I can't get past the LA Times paywall.

[SunSeeker]

8. ICE just did a temperature check; if less than 100.4, they got deported.

Apparently Guatemala did the testing once the individuals returned with symptoms.

Here's the story at ABC without a paywall:

https://abcnews.go.com/International/75-migrants-deported-guatemala-single-flight-tested-positive/story?id=70156471

From the ABC News link:

An ICE spokesperson previously told ABC News that the agency does not deport ill detainees and conducts a "visual screening" and temperature check before deportation, ensuring a deportee's temperature is below 100.4 degrees.

But in at least one instance, a Guatemalan national deported on March 26 by ICE did not show symptoms until he arrived in his home country. With dozens of other migrants on board his U.S. government flight, it's possible he infected others then or while he was being processed into the country.

To date, at least 77 migrants in ICE custody in the U.S. have tested positive for COVID-19, with the agency announcing Tuesday it would temporarily release 693 detainees deemed low risks to public safety as it moves to stop the virus' spread among immigrants and its staff -- 101 of whom have also tested positive.

[Maxheader]

5. Hugo..Dude!

Be cool..the yellow haired buffoon is in retribution mode...

[Botany]

6. World wide the death toll might very well be in the 10s of millions

Trump is a monster.

[Bayard]

7. I still have not seen any stats from the border prisons

Are they even bothering to test detainees? Or just sending them home to infect their native countries?

[SunSeeker]

9. 77 migrants in ICE custody, and 101 ICE staff, have tested positive so far.

Looks like ICE staff are the superspreaders. Here's the story at ABC without a paywall: 

https://abcnews.go.com/International/75-migrants-deported-guatemala-single-flight-tested-positive/story?id=70156471 

From the ABC News link: 

An ICE spokesperson previously told ABC News that the agency does not deport ill detainees and conducts a "visual screening" and temperature check before deportation, ensuring a deportee's temperature is below 100.4 degrees. 

But in at least one instance, a Guatemalan national deported on March 26 by ICE did not show symptoms until he arrived in his home country. With dozens of other migrants on board his U.S. government flight, it's possible he infected others then or while he was being processed into the country. 

To date, at least 77 migrants in ICE custody in the U.S. have tested positive for COVID-19, with the agency announcing Tuesday it would temporarily release 693 detainees deemed low risks to public safety as it moves to stop the virus' spread among immigrants and its staff -- 101 of whom have also tested positive.

[Bayard]

10. Thanks for posting!

Its probably a lot worse than they are reporting.

[SunSeeker]

11. Of course it is. We only test the very sick, and tests have a 30-50% false negative.

So even if ICE was honestly reporting, by the very nature of our testing we have at least 100% more infections than reported.