NEW YORK (AP) — Two former U.S. health officials tell AP that Vice President Mike Pence in March directed the nation’s top disease control agency to use its emergency powers to effectively seal the borders against immigrants and asylum seekers over the objections of its scientists. Three people with direct knowledge of the situation say a top Centers for Disease Control and Prevention doctor had refused to comply with the Trump administration directive. Then Pence ordered CDC Director Robert Redfield to approve the order. So far it has caused nearly 150,000 children and adults to be expelled from the country.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
FILE - In this March 18, 2020, file photo, a Border Patrol agent walks along a border wall separating Tijuana, Mexico, from San Diego, in San Diego. Vice President Mike Pence in March directed the nation’s top disease control agency to use its emergency powers to effectively seal the U.S. borders, overruling the agency’s scientists who said there was no evidence the action would slow the coronavirus, according to two former health officials. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)
Posted
and last updated
Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
