In McAllen, Texas, Migrant Shelters Struggle as Covid-19 Containment Falls to Them

September 1, 2021

(Wall Street Journal) – The spread of Covid-19’s Delta variant is further straining an already fragile network of border cities, private shelters and churches tasked with testing the tens of thousands of migrants who are crossing the border illegally each month. The Border Patrol has said it would take too much time to test migrants in their brief custody, and they don’t have the resources to quarantine those who test positive. That has left the task to private shelters, churches and local officials along the border, who are prepared to provide basic aid to migrants for a matter of hours or days, but are now having to find places to shelter them for up to a couple of weeks. The need to maintain social distancing inside these facilities is upending the way migrant shelters have operated for years. (Read Full Article)