MAGA Republican Byron Donalds blames illegal immigration for measles outbreak, but his claim quickly falls apart
Republican Florida congressman Byron Donalds claimed that “rampant illegal immigration” was driving measles outbreaks across the United States, directly contradicting public health data.
The contradiction
Donalds made the statement during an August 23 appearance on CBS News‘ Face the Nation, as host Margaret Brennan pointed out that nearly all of Florida has fallen below the 95% immunization threshold needed for herd immunity against measles.
“So, is your message to Florida parents, get your kids vaccinated against that one?” she asked.
Instead of answering whether he would advise parents to follow CDC guidance, he responded, “No. Actually, 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 the CDC data actually shows
The problem with Donalds’ claim arose when journalists and health experts examined actual case numbers. According to CDC data as of August 20, only 16 of the nation’s 2,777 confirmed measles cases in 2026 came from international visitors, accounting for less than 0.006% of all infections.
Meanwhile, 94% of measles cases involved individuals who were either unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status.
The CDC’s research has consistently shown that measles more commonly enters the United States through unvaccinated American residents who contract the virus while traveling abroad and return home.
The misinformation problem
Medical professionals and public health experts raised concerns about how political misinformation can fuel vaccine hesitancy at a time when immunity rates are already critically low.
Prominent medical expert Dr. George Rust expressed disappointment with Donalds’ approach, saying, “We teach our kids not to blame other people for our problems and especially groups of people.”
Rust emphasized the biological reality underpinning the outbreak: measles is extraordinarily contagious within unvaccinated populations.
“If there are 10 unimmunized people in a room and they get exposed to measles, 9 of those 10 are going to get measles,” he explained. “It’s that infectious.” The two-dose MMR vaccine offers 97% protection against measles, while a single dose provides 93% effectiveness according to CDC guidelines.
A pattern of blame-shifting
Donalds’ approach to the measles question reflected a broader pattern of politicians attributing disease outbreaks to immigration rather than addressing preventable health vulnerabilities. During his appearance, he also mentioned that healthcare costs represented Florida’s primary health concern, shifting focus away from vaccination policy entirely.
Just months earlier in June 2026, Sen. Roger Marshall blamed President Joe Biden’s immigration policies for the spread of screwworm, a flesh-eating parasitic larva that affected livestock.
Donald Trump has echoed those sentiments several times in the past. In 2024, he said in an interview with New York radio station WABC, “They’re coming in as terrorists. Many, many terrorists are coming in and people are coming in with very contagious disease.”
National outbreak context
As of August 21, 2026, the United States recorded 2,777 confirmed cases, already surpassing the entire 2025 total of 2,289 cases. Forty-eight measles outbreaks were documented in 2025, up from 16 in 2024.
By August 2026, 36 outbreaks had been reported just eight months into the year. Vaccination coverage among U.S. kindergarteners dropped from 95.2% during the 2019-2020 school year to 92.4% by 2025-2026, leaving approximately 280,000 kindergarteners vulnerable to infection.
Between all this, Trump has also called out the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine as “lethal,” claims that Dr. Mehmet Oz has declined.