Over 100 migrants released by U.S. border patrol test positive for COVID, Texas official says

More than 100 migrants released by the U.S. border patrol have tested positive for COVID-19 since arriving in January to the United States.

A spokesperson for Brownsville, Texas, told NBC News that since the city started administering coronavirus tests Jan. 25, 108 migrants have tested positive for the virus.

Spokesperson Felipe Romero said the city "continues to follow all guidelines" from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the the Texas health department for Covid-19.

He also told reporters the city did not have the authority to retain the migrants who after crossing the southern U.S. border decide to travel to dozens of cities across the country. However, he said officials urged them to follow CDC quarantine rules.

Several of the migrants who spoke with media group Noticias Telemundo Investiga said that they still intended to travel despite their condition.