Illegal Aliens Jeopardize US Biosecurity
By Jim Kouri CPP (11/26/07)
In the United States, Tuberculosis infection and disease occur most often among people born in areas of the world where TB is common, such as Asia, Africa, and Latin America. In most cases, these foreign-born persons become exposed to and infected in their country of birth and bring the contagious disease into the US.
Of all TB cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control in 1997 -- the last year studied -- 39% were in foreign-born persons. This is an increase from 1986, when 22% of cases were in foreign-born persons. Tuberculosis case rates were seven times greater in the foreign-born compared with the US-born population.
Also, foreign-born individuals now represent 46 percent of all tuberculosis cases reported in the United States compared to 27 percent of cases eight years ago. The CDC is currently processing new data on the illegal alien-TB connection.
TB cases come from Mexico, Philippines, and Vietnam, by and large. All people who apply for immigration and refugee status are screened for TB disease before coming to the United States. Immigrants with TB disease who are infectious at the time of screening are required to receive treatment before they are allowed entry into the United States.
However, the majority of those entering the US are illegal aliens who undergo no physical exams nor do they undergo treatment for their diseases.
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, the states with the highest numbers of multi-drug resistant TB cases during the last ten years were New York, California, Texas and Florida. These are the same states that are experiencing increased illegal alien populations.
One of the fears of many Americans is the fact that corporations involved in managing slaughterhouses and food-processing operations hire unscreened illegal aliens who may be contaminated with TB or worse -- the deadly Bird Flu. For example, Tyson Foods, a Fortune 100 corporation specializing in poultry and meat products, openly employs thousands of illegal aliens.
NewswithViews.com contacted the Arkansas-based Tyson Foods and was told:
"Biosecurity is a major priority for our company... we require the use of protective clothing when people visit poultry farms, to prevent the spread of disease. Tyson Foods' poultry health and occupational health experts have had an ongoing program... to keep our growers and our live production team members informed of appropriate and effective biosecurity and disease prevention measures.
However, in their response, Tyson Foods made no mention of their policy of hiring illegal aliens as plant workers. Nor do their corporate executives mention the enormous amount of political contributions made to both Democrats and Republicans, who in turn have taken no action against Tyson Foods in spite of their lawbreaking.
Meanwhile, Border Patrol Chief Carlos X. Carrillo has stated that the Border Patrol is not responsible for arresting/seizing illegal aliens, criminals, and/or drugs, according to officials at Local 2544, the Border Patrol Agents union.
According to a statement from Local 2544, "Carrillo is echoing some things that [Chief] David Aguilar has been saying at BP musters, only he isn't as polished as Aguilar. When Carrillo made his statement, he didn't spin it enough to leave himself an out. He obviously hasn't mastered talking in circles yet."
What troubles many health experts is the fact that some immigrants have TB or other contagious and deadly diseases, but are not infectious at the time of screening. Sometimes these immigrants become infectious after they enter the United States.
Also, many immigrants have TB infection, but not TB disease, at the time of screening. These immigrants may develop TB disease months or years after they come to the United States. Finally, many people enter the United States without being screened for TB disease, such as students, tourists, and illegal aliens.
"What appears to escape the notice of the Bush Administration is the fact that most of these infected illegal aliens come into the US via our porous border with Mexico," said former NYPD Det. Sid Francis.
"While the US government allows imported tainted or contaminated products from China -- including children's toys that are covered in poisonous leaded-paint -- it also allows illegal aliens to cross our borders without screening them for deadly diseases such as Tuberculosis," he said.
TB is also a problem in correctional facilities where up to 27 percent of inmates are illegally in this country. A CDC study conducted in 1984 and 1985 showed that there were four times as many TB cases in people living in correctional facilities as there were in people of the same age who did not live in correctional facilities. There are several reasons why rates of TB disease are higher in correctional facilities.
First, many inmates already have TB infection and therefore are at higher risk of developing TB disease.
Second, an increasing number of inmates are infected with HIV, which means that they are more likely to develop TB disease if they become infected with M. tuberculosis. Finally, some correctional facilities are crowded, which promotes the spread of TB.
Other settings where people at risk for TB are grouped together are homeless shelters and drug treatment centers. People who live or work in these settings are at higher risk of being exposed to TB since these facilities house a disproportionate number of illegal aliens who emanate from countries where infectious diseases are commonplace.
Political strategist Mike Baker is concerned that the federal government will use an epidemic that's created to bypass the US Constitution.
"Look what the federal government did during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans: they dispatched federal agents (from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) not to assist the suffering victims of the hurricane and floods, but to confiscate the guns owned by law-abiding citizens," recalls Baker.
"According to medical emergency plans I've seen, Americans contaminated during a pandemic or other health emergency will be removed from their homes and quarantined. This will give the feds a perfect opportunity to confiscate citizens' guns," he said.
"Meanwhile, this same federal government will allow infected illegal aliens to cross our borders," Baker added.
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