“Yes, Attorney, I checked the number and it’s from a public health center in Fairfax County,” said Ms. Marites Pala-toc, a fictional client of mine from Northern Virginia. There was a hint of anxiety in her voice.

“Did you call them back?” I asked.

“Yes. I spoke with a lady there and she said my sister would have to go to their office for a follow up test on the results of her TB screening in the Philippines.”

“Hmm, I know sometimes they do follow up screening of new immigrants and refugees, especially those with suspected or unresolved TB issues,” I said, frowning, “but it’s not mandatory. In fact, I haven’t had a client who’d done that in a while. Did they tell you how they knew about your sister’s case?”

“Yes, the lady said they were contacted by the State Department regarding my sister’s arrival and also about the results of her medical in the Philippines, and that’s why they’re asking her to come in for a follow up test.”

“Uh, maybe they’re getting more strict nowadays, especially after the pandemic,” I opined, mindful of my other clients who previously arrived as immigrants without being asked to undergo a post-arrival TB screening.

“I guess you’re right, Attorney. I don’t recall going through this kind of stuff when I first arrived in the US. Anyway, I’ve already booked an appointment for my sister and we’ll go to the clinic next week.”

After Ms. Pala-toc hung up, I surmised that this might’ve been an outlier incident; that this particular client could be suffering from a unique tubercular or pulmonary condition that necessitated a post-arrival evaluation. However, a few days after I spoke with Ms. Pala-toc, another fictional client called to say that his mom, a newly arrived immigrant of 70, also received a post-arrival TB screening notice.

Twice in a row meant this was becoming the norm and not a mere random occurrence.

If so, this recalibrated post-pandemic TB programming merits a second look.

For starters, why impose a very strict TB screening regimen on newly arriving, law-abiding immigrants when hundreds of thousands, nay, even millions, of potentially TB-exposed people crossing the border unlawfully from Latin America and Africa are being allowed to roam the country and mingle with the general population without being subjected to anti-TB measures?

Unfortunately, unlike a newly streaming TV show whose critics’ ratings are yet to be evaluated, it seems this newly recycled TB programming is already tanking in the ingenuity and ratiocination department even before it begins to take off.

Since most border-crossers in the US originate from impoverished and medically-challenged locations, it stands to reason that the majority of these people are potential human vectors of tubercular bacteria or other types of virulent pulmonary organisms that can expose the general population to a variety of contagious diseases.

Consequently, instead of going after and harassing newly landed immigrants who obeyed the rules and waited in line for years and even decades to achieve the elusive American dream, and who have already undergone medical testing in their home countries, why not require all border crossers to undergo even a preliminary medical or TB screening before they are released and transported by bus to various locations around the country?

Going further, if the purpose of this recalibrated post-Covid TB programming is to curtail the spread of infectious diseases in the US, why limit the medical clearance requirement to immigrants and refugees only? Why not subject all visa and parole applicants to medical screening as part of the overall immigration process?

Unfortunately, unlike a newly streaming TV show whose critics’ ratings are yet to be evaluated, it seems this newly recycled TB programming is already tanking in the ingenuity and ratiocination department even before it begins to take off.