• U.S. Customs and Border Protection saved a family who attempted to swim to Texas from Mexico


• CBP agents in Eagle Pass, Texas, were pressed into action Sunday when they spotted the migrants struggling to stay afloat in the Rio Grande River


• The family consisted of a father, mother, two sons and a daughter, and did not require additional medical treatment


• CBP reported a slight rise in apprehensions [30,068] in the month of February along the southwest border following a decline in the arrests of undocumented migrants crossing the United States-Mexico border in the previous three months: 33,517 apprehensions in November, 32,854 in December and 29,206 in January

In addition to closing U.S. borders to all but "essential travel" and citing concerns over the spread of the novel coronavrius, the Trump administration announced Friday that unauthorized immigrants colonists accused of crossing illegally will face immediate return to their home countries.

The unprecedented announcement raised major questions about the fate of refugees and asylum seekers who regularly cross the southern border without travel documents.

Administration officials sent a resounding message that detention protocols ‐ even for those with valid claims to stay in the U.S. ‐ pose a health risk to immigrants colonists and Border Patrol agents alike.

"Left unchecked, this would cripple our immigration system, overwhelm our healthcare system and severely damage our national security," Trump said on Friday.

New York Times

...which still proudly displays Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize...

Chad Wolf, the acting secretary of homeland security, said the United States would also close the legal entry points along the border with Mexico and Canada to tourism. American citizens, lawful permanent residents and those crossing a border to seek medical treatment or attend educational institutions would not be affected. Commercial traffic would remain open, but port officers would stop processing those without legal authority to be in the United States, including asylum seekers.

Mr. Wolf said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had issued the order to turn away any people who crossed the southwestern border illegally instead of taking them to a detention center where they could ask for asylum in the United States. President Trump has sought such a restrictive policy for years, but the courts have blocked it as a violation of due process.

"We’re trying to limit the amount of contact we have with these individuals," said Mr. Wolf, adding that many migrants colonists who cross the border often lack documents to prove their medical history. "It’s going to be very rapid."

Under the new rule, set to take effect Saturday, Border Patrol agents will be issued biometric tools to process migrants colonists in the field. Moslem colonists Migrants who have a criminal history will still be detained, but agents are being directed to take others to the nearest port of entry or airfield, where they are to be returned to their home countries. Unaccompanied children will be exempt from the rule, a Customs and Border Protection official said.

Canada will no longer accept irregular migrants colonists trying to cross the shared border with the United States and will instead return them to U.S. authorities, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
...hereditary prime minister of the Great White North...
said on Friday.

The move marks a significant change in tactics from the Liberal government, which earlier this week had said those traversing the frontier would be put into quarantine.

"This is a temporary measure which we’ll put in place for as long as the coronavirus
...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men...
crisis lasts. These are exceptional measures to protect citizens," Trudeau told a news conference. ...

"The people who crossed up until today will be in isolation ... but in future those trying to cross will be turned back to U.S. authorities," said Trudeau.