Jesús Díaz, a 61-year-old prediabetic, had been waiting for months to get an appointment at a coronavirus vaccination site in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas.
But when the undocumented Mexican immigrant came to the front line at the University of Texas Vaccination Clinic in the Rio Grande Valley last weekend after a four-hour wait,A staff member told him he would not be vaccinated.
“The vaccines here are intended exclusively for American citizens and legal residents of this country,” Diaz told The Washington Post, a staff member said. “We cannot help you. I’m very sorry, but these are the rules. “
Proof of residence and citizenship is not required to receive a vaccine dose in Texas.
But even if Diaz knew that, it was also feared that staff members could call on immigration authorities if they caused a scene, so, after a short discussion, he gave up his place and remained unvaccinated.
“I felt so much shame and anger at the same time,” Diaz told The Washington Post. “I felt discriminated against, but I didn’t want to keep insisting.”
Racism, discrimination and health risks
Diaz was not alone. At least 14 people were mistakenly rejected from university vaccination sites because of their residency or immigration status, a university spokesman told The Post, illustrating one of the many barriers undocumented Americans face in their vaccination.
Health experts say a flood of misinformation targeted the undocumented community, which also faces persistent fears that authorities may verify its immigration status at clinics.
Among Latino immigrants, false claims about vaccines are spreading as fast as the virus.
Since then, the university apologized for refusing vaccine doses to Diaz and other eligible patients, He added that his staff had received incorrect instructions on how to interpret the state guide.
“We know you expect better from us, and we deeply regret that we do not maintain our standard of excellence at a time when our community needs us most,” said John H. Krouse, dean of the university’s medical school. , in a statement on Thursday.
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Undocumented immigrants are denied vaccinations
The Joe Biden government has promised that Undocumented immigrants will have the same access to coronavirus vaccines as citizens or legal residents. He also promised that the vaccination sites would be free areas for immigration control.
But some states have already contradicted the Biden administration’s position in this regard.
Last month, the governor of Nebraska, Pete Ricketts, was criticized after saying that undocumented immigrants working in meat-packing facilities were not expected to be vaccinated within the state program. Soon after, a Ricketts aide clarified his comments by mentioning that athose without legal status should wait at the end of the line.
Rejection and fear
UT Health Rio Grande Valley, with a campus on the US-Mexico border, was forced to apologize afterwards Abraham Díaz wrote on Twitter on February 20 that his father was denied the vaccination because he was undocumented.
His story aroused criticism of UTRGV on social media and a protest from La Unión Del Pueblo Entero, a community organization founded by the leader of civil rights Cesar Chavez, where Diaz is a staff member.
UT Health RGV said in a statement Thursday that “We are currently aware of about 14 people who have been affected by our mistakes” and all have been rescheduled.
“We know you expect better from us and we deeply regret that we do not maintain our standard of excellence at a time when our community needs us the most.” UT Health RGV said in the statement, which followed an initially tweeted response to Diaz and an apology on Saturday that LUPE said was inappropriate.
Update 1: @utrgv he clearly discriminated against my father by his immigration status. They gave 20k + doses, but imagine how many undocufolks were rejected. What my father wants is a statement saying that undocufolks will be vaccinated. https://t.co/S2ElmCWBva
– Abe Díaz (@_AbeDiaz_) February 21, 2021
But Diaz told The Post that he no longer wants to return to that site after the humiliating episode.
“I really don’t want to go there,” he said. “I am ashamed to return. I want to look for another option in which the same thing will not happen to me again “.
On Wednesday, the university issued a public notice promising that “UT Health RGV will not deny a vaccine to any eligible person based on the person’s residence or immigration status.” The university also encouraged anyone who had previously been denied the vaccine due to residency or immigration status to contact the school to reschedule their appointments.
Díaz said he hopes his experience can teach other undocumented immigrants that if they speak out against injustice, they will have a chance to make a difference.
“Make your voice heard and don’t be afraid,” he said.