Acting Homeland Security Chief Kevin McAleenan revealed exactly how much care illegal migrants receive upon arriving at the border, abolishing narratives set by Democratic critics of the department.
“Despite the scale of the challenge we face, and the failure to enact legislation that would have prevented — and could still end this crisis, DHS has made significant strides in its effort to secure the border, and to better protect the health and safety of migrants in our custody,” McALeenan said Thursdayduring a House Oversight Committee hearing.
Since January 2019, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has delivered more than 6,000,000 meals, performed around 400,000 medical health interviews, and conducted over 80,000 medical assessments for migrants in Customs and Border Protection custody, McALeenan said.
Furthermore, agents have delivered more than 21,000 sick or injured migrants to hospitals this year, and have “conducted medical transportation or stood hospital watch for over a quarter million hours.” There are now more than 200 medical professionals working at various border facilities who screen migrants upon their detention.
“I am confident that no law enforcement agency in the world is providing more critical lifesaving care or medical support than U.S. Customs and Border Protection,” McAleenan continued in his opening remarks.
At another moment during the hearing, McAleenan revealed that, in the first nine months of the current fiscal year, Border Patrol agents have conducted 3,800 rescues — saving migrants in distress at the southern border. Rescue missions on the Rio Grande River, in particular, have increased ten-fold.
