Donald Trump’s nominee for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director may have an unexpected role in the coming months: assisting the incoming president with closing the U.S.-Mexico border to migrants.
Trump and his advisers are reportedly considering using a public health emergency as an excuse to close borders. The catch? The decision on whether or not a disease warrants a border closure falls to the CDC. This caused issues for Trump in 2020, when his administration wanted to use COVID-19 as a reason to close the southern border.
Luckily for Trump, his new nominee for CDC director, Dave Weldon, appears to share his feelings about immigration. Weldon didn’t respond to a request for comment. However, his campaign website from when he ran for Florida House of Representatives in 2024 describes his goals for immigration policy in Florida.