Washington, D.C. (July 1, 2020) – A new report from the Center for Immigration Studies analyzes the refugee placement in the United States that has occurred since the forming of the president's Coronavirus Task Force on January 29. During this health and economic crisis, resettlement contractors have been paid by the State Department to resettle over 3,300 refugees from around the world in over 30 states. They have come from Congo, Burma, Afghanistan, Iraq, Sudan, Pakistan, Syria, Iran, and elsewhere, and have been placed even in states with very high levels of coronavirus infection, including New York, New Jersey, Michigan, California, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Illinois.

The report, by senior researcher Nayla Rush, is available at https://cis.org/Report/Refugee-Placement-and-Medical-Concerns-Amid-Covid19-Pandemic-and-Economic-Crisis-0

Although quarantine regulations apply to everyone entering the United States, there is no indication that refugees were or are being tested for the Covid-19 virus overseas or placed under quarantine upon arrival. It also appears that state and local health officials were not notified of the placement of refugees, nor were state residents — who are being asked to continue making enormous sacrifices.

Rush writes, "Refugees admitted to the U.S. are entitled to healthcare, benefits, and social services. They can claim parts of the relief package available through the CARES act; they are entitled to ventilators, hospital beds, Covid-19 treatment, etc." She continues, "So it is odd that the resettlement agencies have settled refugees in states that are struggling to provide their own residents with proper testing and care."

Specific health-related conditions that pose a threat to public health (called Class A conditions) are grounds for inadmissibility when identified during the medical examination overseas. The president has the authority to update that list to include the Covid-19 threat, but he has not done so.