Louisiana is taking legal action against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and various agencies following an incident involving an illegal Chinese immigrant who may have exposed hundreds of individuals in the state to a rare, drug-resistant form of tuberculosis. Governor Jeff Landry and state Attorney General Liz Murrill announced the lawsuit on Wednesday, revealing that the migrant, whose identity remains undisclosed, was transferred by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) through different facilities in Louisiana, potentially exposing around 200 other detainees and staff members.
The Chinese national is reported to have a rare, aggressive, and drug-resistant strain of tuberculosis, which has high mortality rates, according to the lawsuit filed. State officials have been working diligently to prevent the spread of the disease, but ICE has been urged to detain individuals until they are medically cleared by the Louisiana Department of Health to ensure public safety.
The individual in question entered California illegally through the southern border in July and was later transported with 100 other detainees to Alexandria, Louisiana, before being moved to another facility with additional detainees. Despite exhibiting symptoms of tuberculosis, they were released into the general population at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Basile in August. The patient has been receiving treatment and is currently asymptomatic but remains under medical supervision.
Of the 174 detainees who were exposed to the infected individual, 60 have been either deported, transferred, relocated, or released from the Basile facility. The Louisiana Department of Health received positive test results on October 9, prompting the quarantine of the dorm where the Chinese migrant was housed and testing of other detainees in the same location, all of whom tested negative for drug-resistant tuberculosis.
Louisiana Surgeon General Ralph Abraham emphasized the unique and resistant nature of the tuberculosis strain carried by the patient, noting that such cases are rare in the state and are typically associated with foreign countries. ICE spokesperson Jeff Carter reiterated that the agency adheres to public health guidelines to prevent and manage communicable diseases in their detention centers, working closely with federal, state, and local health officials to address any health concerns.
Attorney General Murrill criticized the Biden administration’s border policies, emphasizing the importance of protecting the nation’s borders to safeguard the health and safety of Americans. She highlighted the risks posed by allowing undocumented individuals, potentially carrying infectious diseases, to enter the country unmonitored.
Governor Landry echoed these concerns, warning of the consequences of an open and porous border that allows diseases to enter the country unchecked. He raised issues surrounding cases of measles, mumps, and now a rare strain of tuberculosis, attributing these challenges to the lack of proper border control measures.
The lawsuit names Mayorkas, the Department of Homeland Security, ICE, and several detention facilities as defendants, signaling Louisiana’s commitment to upholding public health standards and holding accountable those responsible for the potential exposure to dangerous diseases.