Verified sources.
Clear updates.
Florida Republican gubernatorial nominee U.S. Byron Donalds linked U.S. measles outbreaks to illegal immigration. On CBS News’ “Face the Nation” on Aug. 23, host Margaret Brennan said Florida is below the immunization rate needed to achieve herd immunity for measles. Brennan then asked Donalds if his guidance for Florida parents would be to get their kids vaccinated. “No,” Donalds said, “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.” Donalds pointed to measles outbreaks in El Paso, Texas and southwest Florida, and said people who are in the U.S. illegally have not followed the measles, mumps and rubella vaccination schedule.
Missing media or need the complete publisher report? Open WRAL
Branded placeholder shown because no approved media was supplied.
The text below was supplied by the Scoop Newsroom app. Third-party reporting is attributed in the source panel.
Donalds’ campaign did not respond to a request for information to support his statement. In 2025, two children and one adult died from measles, the first U.S. fatalities attributed to the virus in more than a decade.
Breaking news moves fast. Follow @Will466513 on X for breaking news alerts. Follow on X →
Dated changes to this report are shown here as they are published.
Removed by Scoop Timeline eligibility policy
