CNN slammed for 'dishonest' report claiming Texas governor has no evidence of migrants spreading coronavirus
CNN, other outlets reported more than 100 illegal immigrants released into U.S. tested positive for coronavirus
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CNN was hammered Thursday for accusing Texas Gov. Greg Abbott of claiming "without evidence" that migrants could expose Texans to coronavirus, after officials said this week more than 100 illegal immigrants had tested positive and been allowed to freely travel.
"The Biden administration has been releasing immigrants in south Texas that have been exposing Texans to Covid," Abbott, a Republican, told CNBC.
"After relaxing state Covid restrictions this week, Abbott alleged, without evidence, that migrants coming into Texas are exposing the state's residents to the coronavirus," CNN reported.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Yet multiple outlets, including CNN in the same article it accused Abbott of making a baseless claim, reported more than 100 illegal immigrants released following their arrival at the border tested positive for coronavirus.
Felipe Romero, an official in Brownsville, Texas, told Fox News that the 108 positives represent 6.3% of the number of total migrants who have been rapid-tested at the city’s main bus station, where they are being released by the Border Patrol.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He added that Brownsville did not have the authority to prevent those who tested positive from traveling elsewhere.
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Critics of CNN's framing blasted the outlet on Twitter, with one conservative user calling it "one of the more dishonest articles I've seen in some time."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CNN headlined its partisan story, "Texas Gov. Abbott stalled federal offer to test migrants then blamed them for spreading Covid." The lack of concern over migrants potentially spreading coronavirus seemed incongruent with CNN's scolding of Abbott this week for fully opening up the state and reversing its mask mandate.
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President Biden referred to Texas and Mississippi revoking their mask mandates as "Neanderthal thinking."
Fox News' Greg Norman and Griff Jenkins contributed to this report.