In an alarming development, Louisiana’s Governor Jeff Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill announced on October 23 that the state is suing Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. This lawsuit stems from ICE’s decision to detain a Chinese national with a rare, drug-resistant strain of invasive tuberculosis at a facility in Louisiana, which may have exposed over 200 detainees and staff to this highly lethal disease.
Governor Landry emphasized the state’s efforts to contain the potential spread of tuberculosis, stating that ICE’s requests to continue detaining illegal immigrants until they meet health department standards pose a significant risk. “This time we dodged a bullet; we are ensuring public safety through the judicial system,” he remarked.
According to the legal filing, the individual reportedly entered California illegally through the southern border in July. After being detained with hundreds of others, they were transported to Alexandria, Louisiana, and subsequently shifted to another facility with more detainees. Throughout their journey, although undergoing tuberculosis testing, this individual was moved to two additional facilities before returning to the Richwood detention center. The lawsuit claims that despite showing symptoms of tuberculosis, some detainees were released from the ICE processing center in Basile, Louisiana, in August, potentially exposing them to the general public.
Among the 174 detainees who had contact with this infected individual, 60 have since been deported, transferred, relocated, or released from the Basile ICE processing center.
On October 9, officials from the Louisiana Department of Health were informed of positive test results from those individuals. The Basile facility subsequently isolated the dormitory where the affected detainee stayed and conducted drug-resistant tuberculosis testing on the remaining occupants, all of whom tested negative.
Louisiana’s Health Secretary Ralph Abraham noted that the affected patient has a particularly drug-resistant strain of tuberculosis, currently the only case in the state. He assured that the patient is now “doing well” and is “asymptomatic,” although they are still undergoing treatment.
Governor Landry, recalling his tenure as Attorney General, expressed concerns over border policies, stating, “An open border with glaring gaps allows diseases that public health officials are striving to eliminate to enter the U.S.; we’re seeing increasing cases of measles and mumps, and now this rare tuberculosis case.”
Attorney General Murrill added that the Biden administration’s border policy has jeopardized the health and safety of American citizens.
