Annunciation House in El Paso hosting 1,200 Haitian migrants, about 50 have Covid

EL PASO, Texas -- Officials at El Paso's Annunciation House shelter told reporters Monday that they had received more than 1,200 migrants over the last few days - most of them sent 400 miles from Del Rio to El Paso - and indicated this group is expected to remain in the U.S.

Out of the 1,203 migrants arriving at the shelter, 798 were Haitian, 144 were from Chile, 43 from Brazil, 26 were Cuban, and 23 were from Venezuela. The other 169 were from various countries like Ecuador and the Dominican Republic, plus there was even one refugee from France.

Upon their arrival, Annunciation House head Reuben Garcia says all the migrants, unless younger than 2 years old, are tested for Covid-19. So far, about 50 to 60 of them have tested back positive.

Those with a positive test result, along with family members, are taken to a hotel to quarantine for 10 days before being allowed back into the migrant shelter. They also have the opportunity to get vaccinated.

Last week, there were as many 14,000 migrants camped out under the international bridge in the south Texas border town of Del Rio. Some of those migrants have been or will be expelled while others will stay in the U.S. while their asylum claims are processed.