False: Migrants at the Mexico border are responsible for the spread of COVID-19 variants in the U.S.

There is no evidence that migrants at the Mexican border are a significant source of different COVID-19 variant infections in the U.S.An image circulated on social media claimed the U.S.-Mexico border would be closed if U.S. was apprehensive about new variants. The image has been shared more than 16,000 times. According to media reports, 2020 saw a surge in migrants arriving in the U.S. from Central American countries, including Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. The causes of this uptick are numerous, but they include worsened economic conditions resulting from COVID-19, cartel violence, natural catastrophes, and corruption. COVID-19 has spread across the border in immigration detention camps. But migrants aren't expected to be a significant source of the coronavirus strains prevalent in the U.S. According to Mayo Clinic, the U.S. has four significant coronavirus variations: Delta, Alpha, Beta, and Gamma. According to World Health Organization (WHO), a COVID-19 variant satisfies the definition of a variant of interest (VOI). It is linked with one or more of the following changes at a global public health relevance level through a comparative assessment. In addition, public health experts in the U.S. are keeping an eye on four significant coronavirus variants. None of them circulated in Central America first. The variant was first detected in India in December before spreading to the U.S. in March. According to Reuters, the U.S. extended the closure of land crossings with Canada and Mexico to non-essential travel, such as tourism, until August 21, 2021, even as officials debate whether travelers must have received the COVID-19 vaccination. After the COVID-19 pandemic forced a 16-month ban that many businesses have called crippling, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on July 19, 2021, that it would begin allowing fully vaccinated U.S. visitors on August 9 non-essential travel after the COVID-19 pandemic forced a 16-month ban. According to the American Immigration Council, individuals who arrive at the southern border and ask for protection have long had the right to seek asylum in the United States. However, that fundamental right has been mainly suspended since March 20, 2020. Since then, migrants and asylum seekers seeking a better life in the United States have been turned away and "expelled" back to Mexico or their home countries. The former Trump administration used a little-known clause of U.S. health law, section 265 of Title 42, to fulfill its long-sought goal of closing the border. However, there is no evidence that new coronavirus variants come from migrants at the border. The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19, including symptoms, prevention, and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organization or your national healthcare authority.