FEMA chief says COVID-19 positivity rate among migrants at border is less than 6%

Washington — The acting head of the Federal Emergency Agency (FEMA) told lawmakers on Tuesday that less than 6% of COVID-19 tests for migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border have come back positive, a lower percentage than the overall positivity rate in the state of Texas. 

"There's testing happening," Acting Administrator Robert Fenton told lawmakers at a hearing before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security. "What we're seeing is less than 6% positive right now, coming across the border." Fenton's comments come as Texas Governor Greg Abbott and GOP lawmakers have expressed concerns that migrants are spreading the virus to the general public. However, the rate of infection among migrants tested at the border is lower than that of the state overall. As of Tuesday, the seven-day average of the state's positivity rate stood at 7.4%, according to Johns Hopkins University.