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How Undocumented Immigrants Will be Received At Covid-19 Vaccination Sites?

President Biden said on Friday that undocumented immigrants should be able to get vaccinated without the fear of deportation.

“I want to make sure they all are able to get vaccinated and so they’re protected from Covid, without the ICE or anyone else interfering,” Biden added. “They should not be arrested for showing up for being able to get a vaccination.”

Biden made the statement during an interview with the Spanish-language news channel Univision after visiting a coronavirus vaccine center in Texas, a state that has been battered by winter storms and power outages,

Biden’s remarks signal a policy shift from the former administration, which was criticized over ICE’s compliance efforts. The current government, even when it comes to vaccine delivery, has put a priority on equity. Biden administration’s Covid-19 vaccine program focuses on underserved communities and undocumented immigrants.

During a Jan. 28 press briefing, White House press secretary Jen Psaki mentioned that the president wants everybody, including undocumented immigrants, to have equal access to the vaccine.

On Feb. 1, the Department of Homeland Security, which manages Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also released a statement that the department “will not perform enforcement operations at or near distribution sites or clinics for vaccinations.”

Report by:

Journalist/Photographer _ Florence Akano

Journalist/Photographer _ Olivier Noudjalbaye Dedingar