(CNN) — The Biden administration will offer COVID-19 vaccines to migrants apprehended at the US-Mexico border, according to two sources familiar with the planning and confirmed by the Department of Homeland Security, while officials prepare for an influx of migrants.
The plan, which had previously been a source of tension in the White House, could spread to thousands of migrants found on the southern border of the United States.
The Department of Homeland Security will initially be able to provide up to 2,700 vaccines a day, it said in a notice to Congress obtained by CNN, rising to 6,000 a day by the end of May.
The decision comes as the Biden administration reassesses a Trump-era pandemic emergency rule, known as Title 42which has allowed authorities to turn away immigrants arrested at the border for more than two years.
Vaccine against covid-19 for migrants
As the pandemic landscape evolves, discussions about ending that order have gathered pace, sources told CNN, though it also raised concerns about a potential uptick.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is expected to release its latest assessment of the authority in the coming days.
Offering the COVID-19 vaccine to migrants at the US southern border would be an extension of what the Biden administration is already doing for migrants subject to the US “remain in Mexico” policy. it was Trump. People subject to that policy and who return to Mexico are offered vaccines against covid-19. As of March 23, more than 1,400 migrants have been sent back to Mexico under the “remain in Mexico” policy.
Last year, top White House officials rejected a proposal to vaccinate immigrants, a plan intended to address public health concerns, because they thought it would encourage more people to come to the US, the sources said. to CNN.
Now, the administration is moving forward.
advances
“The effort to vaccinate individuals in our care and custody, which is a best public health practice, has been ongoing for many months. The Department of Homeland Security has already taken steps to offer COVID-19 vaccines to non-citizens.” in (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) custody,” the department said in a statement.
“To further safeguard public health and ensure the safety of border communities, the workforce, and migrants, the Department of Homeland Security will expand these efforts and begin providing age-appropriate COVID-19 vaccinations to non-citizens apprehended by Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the southwest land border who are determined to be inadmissible under Title 8,” he added.
Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz told CNN last week that discussions about offering COVID-19 vaccines to migrants were ongoing.
“I think certainly vaccines are something that is going to be very, very important, especially with the affected communities,” Ortiz said. “We have to make sure that as we detain people and hand them over to an NGO or release them into the community, we give them the proper care.”
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