Louisiana is suing the Secretary of Homeland Security, accusing illegal immigrants of arriving in the state infected with a rare, drug-resistant form of tuberculosis.
Gov. Jeff Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill said Wednesday that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have moved the Chinese national into custody and brought him into contact with at least 200 other detainees and employees.
Officials said they tried to isolate the case, but ICE ignored requests to hold other detainees until cleared by the Louisiana Department of Health, potentially leading to the spread of infection.
“This time we dodged a bullet. We used the justice system to continue to protect our people,” Republican Gov. Landry told reporters Wednesday, adding there was no indication the public was in danger.
Left: Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry speaks on Wednesday, September 11, 2024 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Right: Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, seen in Washington, DC, on October 1, 2024, is being sued by the state of Louisiana. .. Left: Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry speaks in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Wednesday, September 11, 2024. Right: Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, seen in Washington, DC, on October 1, 2024, is being sued by the state of Louisiana. The issue surrounding an illegal Chinese immigrant who arrived with a rare form of tuberculosis. Detailed AP Photo/Getty Images
Alejandro Mayorkas, a Chinese national, illegally entered the United States from California through the southwest border in July, according to the lawsuit filed against Sek. They were then transferred by plane to an ICE facility in Louisiana, along with about 100 other detainees.
After the patient showed signs of tuberculosis, he was tested for tuberculosis, transferred to two other facilities, and returned to the Richwood Jail.
Three days later, despite increasing symptoms of tuberculosis, she was transported to the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Basil, where she was released into the general population. It wasn’t until Oct. 9 that Louisiana Department of Health officials received positive results for her condition.
Shortly thereafter, the agency issued an order requiring ICE to hold the detainees in the facility until the Department of Health approved their release, but the agency refused, the complaint alleges.
“This patient has a highly resistant strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis,” Louisiana Surgeon General Ralph Abraham told reporters. “This is the only case in Louisiana, and we don’t typically see cases like this unless it’s from a foreign country.”
Abraham said the strain may be under control and the patient is receiving appropriate medication.
For the governor and attorney general, the federal government still has questions to answer, as ICE has decided to “ignore” Louisiana officials and still release people who may have been exposed to infected immigrants. are.
”[We have] Open porous boundaries, unchecked boundaries. “We are allowing people into the country with diseases that this country’s health care system has consistently worked to eradicate,” the governor said.
The lawsuit seeks a temporary injunction that would prohibit ICE from releasing detainees until they are medically evaluated, followed by a permanent injunction.
It also calls on the CDC to intervene, if necessary, using Title 42, the rules applicable during the COVID-19 pandemic, to isolate or quarantine people at the Richwood and Basil facilities. It becomes necessary.
Newsweek reached out to DHS and ICE for comment on this story via email Wednesday afternoon.
