EXPLAINER: How do border policies affect US infection rates?

PHOENIX (AP) — As the delta variant fuels an increase of COVID-19 cases in the U.S., some of President Joe Biden's critics blame the surge on his border policies, which allow some migrants to enter the country to apply for asylum.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis last week accused Biden of “helping to facilitate” the spread of the coronavirus. Fox News host Sean Hannity referred to migrants causing “the biggest super-spreader event” and incorrectly asserted that none was being tested.

But public health experts say arriving migrants are not driving the rising infections in the U.S. The main culprits are people who refuse to get vaccinated. Furthermore, migrants who are allowed to enter are generally tested for COVID-19 and given hotel rooms to quarantine if they test positive, though federal authorities have not made data available about such cases.

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WHAT HAPPENS WHEN MIGRANTS ARE STOPPED AT THE BORDER?

It varies, but most single adults are turned away, while unaccompanied children and some families are admitted to pursue asylum claims. This practice is in keeping with the Biden administration's continued use of Title 42, a public health rule adopted by the Trump administration at the start of the pandemic.

In June, the most recent month with available figures, Customs and Border Protection stopped single adults 117,602 times, resulting in 96,704 expulsions, or 82% of the total. Families were stopped 55,805 times at the border in June, with only 8,070 expulsions, or 15%. (Since some people attempt to cross more than once, these numbers refer to stops, not individual people).

Families who are allowed to enter the U.S. to apply for asylum are given dates to appear in immigration court or an appointment with immigration authorities. After they are dropped off in border...