Jul 13, 2019

Detained migrants say they want to eat, shower, brush their teeth

A CBP agent at the Central Processing Center in McAllen, Tex. in June 2018. Photo: Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images

Customs and Border Patrol officials in McAllen, Texas gave conflicting descriptions of the facility to reporters on Friday, as Vice President Mike Pence took a brief tour.

What's happening: As some of the 384 detained men in McAllen said they hadn't showered in weeks — and expressed that they wanted food and toothbrushes — CBP officials told reporters the men were fed regularly, could brush "daily" and had recently showered, WaPo's Josh Dawsey reports.

  • The "stench was horrendous," Dawsey reported, and "the heat was sweltering." CBP told reporters that the holding area, where 384 men stood crowded together behind a fence, was air conditioned and cleaned 3 times a day.
  • A CBP "agent in charge" said none of the 384 men sleeping on concrete without pillows or mats had been there longer than 32 days. Some of the detained men told Dawsey and CNN's Pam Brown that they had, and others said they'd been detained in McAllen for 40 or more days.
  • "I was not surprised by what I saw," Pence told reporters later on Friday. "I knew we'd see a system that was overwhelmed." Pence and the press pool were reportedly pulled out of the holding area within 90 seconds.

The big picture: Many recent reports of mistreatment and unsanitary conditions in migrant shelters in Arizona and Texas have focused on migrant children — but the system is overwhelmed in all areas.

Go deeper: Why the migrant crisis is happening now

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U.S. coronavirus updates

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins; Map: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios. This graphic includes "probable deaths" that New York City began reporting on April 14.

More than 62,300 U.S. health care workers have tested positive for the novel coronavirus and at least 291 have died from the virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Tuesday. COVID-19 had infected about 9,300 health professionals when the CDC gave its last update on April 17.

By the numbers: More than 98,900 people have died from COVID-19 and over 1.6 million have tested positive in the U.S. Over 384,900 Americans have recovered and more than 14.9 million tests have been conducted.

Go deeper (2 min. read)ArrowUpdated 21 mins ago - Health

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 11:00 p.m. ET: 5,589,626 — Total deaths: 350,453 — Total recoveries — 2,286,956 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 11:00 p.m. ET: 1,680,913 — Total deaths: 98,913 — Total recoveries: 384,902 — Total tested: 14,907,041 — Map.
  3. Federal response: DOJ investigates meatpacking industry over soaring beef prices — Mike Pence's press secretary returns to work.
  4. Congress: House Republicans to sue Nancy Pelosi in effort to block proxy voting.
  5. Business: How the new workplace could leave parents behind.
  6. Tech: Twitter fact-checks Trump's tweets about mail-in voting for first time — Google to open offices July 6 for 10% of workers.
  7. Public health: Coronavirus antibodies could give "short-term immunity," CDC says, but more data is needed— CDC releases guidance on when you can be around others after contracting the virus.
  8. What should I do? When you can be around others after contracting the coronavirus — Traveling, asthma, dishes, disinfectants and being contagious — Masks, lending books and self-isolating — Exercise, laundry, what counts as soap — Pets, moving and personal health — Answers about the virus from Axios experts — What to know about social distancing — How to minimize your risk.
  9. Other resources: CDC on how to avoid the virus, what to do if you get it, the right mask to wear.

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Updated 31 mins ago - Politics & Policy

World coronavirus updates

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins; Map: Axios Visuals

There are no COVID-19 patients in hospital in New Zealand, which reported just 21 active cases after days of zero new infections. A top NZ health official said Tuesday he's "confident we have broken the chain of domestic transmission."

By the numbers: Almost 5.5 million people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus as of Tuesday, and more than 2.2 million have recovered. The U.S. has reported the most cases in the world (over 1.6 million from 14.9 million tests).

Go deeper (2 min. read)ArrowUpdated 55 mins ago - Health