Fauci Rejects Republicans Blaming Border Crisis for U.S. Covid Spread: ‘This Is Not Driven by Immigrants’

Dr. Anthony Fauci shut down the premise that immigrants and foreigners are responsible for the coronavirus’ ongoing spread throughout the United States.

Fauci gave an interview to CNN’s Dana Bash on Sunday for State of the Union, during which, the conversation toward a recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll which found that 55 percent of Republicans attribute Covid spread to immigrants and tourists. The same poll also found that only 32 percent of Republicans connect the U.S.’ Covid case numbers to the idea that too many people are refusing to get vaccinated.

Asked if he agrees that immigrants are a “major reason” for Covid spread in the U.S., Fauci answered “No, absolutely not.”

This is not driven by immigrants. This is the problem within our country the same way it’s a problem with other countries throughout the world. The idea, when you have 700,000 Americans dead and millions and millions and millions of Americans getting infected, you don’t want to look outside to the problem. The problem is within our own country, certainly immigrants can get infected but they’re not the driving force of this. Let’s face reality here.

Fauci’s comments come after numerous conservatives and right-wing media figures spent months blaming Covid surges on migrants and the chaotic situation at the U.S. Southern border. This topic remained on focus as Bash asked Fauci if the U.S. should continue invoking Title 42 to expel immigrants from the country because of the pandemic.

Fauci demurred on the continuation of Title 42, though he did say “focusing on immigrants, expelling them or what have you, is not the solution to an outbreak.”

Watch above, via CNN.