BS BULLETIN:
- Margaret Brennan asked Byron Donalds whether Florida parents should vaccinate their children against measles. His answer: “No.”
- Donalds instead blamed recent outbreaks on “rampant illegal immigration.”
- Brennan immediately challenged him: “What evidence do you have of that?”
CBS’s Margaret Brennan wanted Florida Republican gubernatorial nominee Byron Donalds to give her a super simple answer about the measles vaccine.
She didn’t get one.
Instead, Sunday’s “Face the Nation” interview turned into a fiery argument over illegal immigration after Brennan pointed out that nearly all of Florida is below the 95% vaccination level generally associated with herd immunity against measles.
“So, is your message to Florida parents, get your kids vaccinated against that one?” Brennan asked.
“No,” Donalds answered. “My message to Floridians and, quite frankly, to Americans is the reason why we have seen a measles outbreak in certain parts of the country is because of rampant illegal immigration into the United States from the previous administration.”
“What evidence do you have of that?” Brennan immediately interrupted.
Donalds pointed to outbreaks in El Paso, Texas, Southwest Florida and elsewhere and argued that millions of people entered the country without following the vaccination schedules routinely expected of Americans. “You can’t have an entire segment of people, more than 10 million, coming to your country without that vaccination schedule,” Donalds said. “That’s how you end up having some of these outbreaks.”
And there is historical evidence that migrant populations can become part of measles outbreaks.
Chicago health officials confirmed measles cases at a migrant shelter in 2024, and medical experts told Fox News at the time that vaccination of newly arrived migrants could have helped prevent transmission. Earlier this year, ICE halted movement at its Dilley, Texas, immigration processing center after two detainees tested positive for measles.
Brennan noted that much of Florida is below the roughly 95% MMR vaccination threshold generally associated with community protection against measles. Nationally, vaccination rates among kindergarteners have also been slipping, while exemptions have increased.
An influx of people who aren’t immunized can obviously create public-health risks. So can falling vaccination rates among Americans. And measles doesn’t check voter registration or immigration status before spreading.
Donalds did not say he opposes the MMR vaccine. Earlier in the interview, he said Florida should “study and really engage” before changing requirements involving polio and MMR vaccines, while supporting greater parental control over other vaccination decisions.
Brennan tried again to pin him down, asking, “So you want them to be vaccinated?” “I just want legal immigrants to be clear,” Donalds said. “We cannot have open borders and we cannot have illegal immigration in our country.”
MY QUICK TAKE
Margaret Brennan asked: Should Florida parents vaccinate their kids against measles?
Byron Donalds heard: Would you like eight minutes to discuss Joe Biden’s border?
And away we went. Donalds has a legitimate point buried inside the fireworks: bringing millions of people into a country without knowing their vaccination status isn’t exactly a public-health strategy devised at Johns Hopkins.
Here’s a radical proposal: Secure the border. Screen people entering the country. And protect Americans from contagious diseases.
DBS WIRE SOURCES:
- Mediaite — Byron Donalds blames Florida measles outbreak on ‘rampant illegal immigration’
- CBS News — Full Byron Donalds interview on Face the Nation
- RealClearPolitics — Donalds: Measles outbreaks caused by illegal immigration, not less vaccination
- Fox News — ICE halts movement after measles cases at Texas immigration detention center
- Fox News — Experts said vaccinating migrants could have prevented Chicago shelter outbreaks
