Undocumented Immigrants may not be Detained in Vaccination Centers
DHS bans border forces from arresting immigrants at vaccination centers
The American population elected the Democratic nominee, Joe Biden, as the country’s 46th president, who took office on January 20, 2021. The president-elect, along with his cabinet, have constantly emphasized the need to integrate immigrant communities in national projects to reduce discrimination and promote multicultural inclusion.
The Biden government states that the US needs immigration to overcome the current crisis and also has a duty, as a first-world country, to offer international protection to those who need it most, such as immigrants fleeing persecution, violence, abuse, famine and other precarious situations that put their integrity at risk.
Now that the world is going through a health emergency unprecedented in recent history, the Biden government wants to include immigrant communities in the national vaccination program against COVID-19 to improve the current situation and gradually overcome the global crisis.
In fact, on Monday, February 1, through an official statement, the DHS (Department of Homeland Security) declared that border forces such as ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) or CBP (Customs and Border Protection) will not arrest undocumented immigrants at or near vaccination centers, which are considered “sensitive locations,” along with other facilities such as hospitals and physician offices.
DHS states that it supports “equal access to the COVID-19 vaccines and vaccine distribution sites for undocumented immigrants. It is a moral and public health imperative to ensure that all individuals residing in the United States have access to the vaccine.”
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Hopeful news for immigrants who feared to receive the COVID-19 vaccine
This is extremely positive news for hundreds of immigrants who did not want to participate in the vaccination program for fear of deportation. Adding to that, dozens of immigrant rights advocates and activists state that most immigrants are essential workers and it is crucial that they receive the COVID-19 vaccine so that the country can overcome the current crisis in the shortest possible time.
For instance, immigrants in Massachusetts feared receiving the vaccine due to restrictive policies of the Trump administration, which put their immigration status or the ability to request legal documentation in the US at risk.
Adding to that, it is important to keep in mind that, as mentioned by several experts in New Jersey, there are immigrant communities that have a language barrier and could avoid accessing the vaccination program because they do not know how it works. Therefore, local governments and humanitarian organizations could also intervene and provide information in different languages to allow the most vulnerable immigrant communities to easily access the national vaccination program, which is necessary to overcome the current crisis.
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