Could the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic be a border issue?

According to Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, immigration at the southern border “is part of the problem” as the United States and Iowa experiences a resurgence in virus cases. During an event this past week in Des Moines, she said she was concerned that migrants crossing the border were unvaccinated and traveling throughout the country.

“As they’re trying to impact additional restrictions on Americans, we’ve got people coming across the border that haven’t been vaccinated, and so that’s also something we need to continue to look at,” Reynolds told reporters, according to the Capital Dispatch.

Pat Garrett, spokesman for the Governor’s Office, later told The Fact Checker that Reynolds was speaking about the impact this could have on the spread of the coronavirus nationwide, not just in Iowa.

Criteria

The Fact Checker team checks statements made by an Iowa political candidate/officeholder or a national candidate/officeholder about Iowa, or in ads that appear in our market.

Claims must be independently verifiable.

We give statements grades from A to F based on accuracy and context.

If you spot a claim you think needs checking, email us at factchecker@thegazette.com.

This episode of the Fact Checker Podcast was researched, written, and hosted by Michaela Ramm of The Gazette and cohosted by Erin Jordan, John Steppe, and Marissa Payne. The Fact Checker Podcast is produced by Stephen Colbert and music is Lobby Time by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3986-lobby-time/

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/