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DHS and its Federal government partners fully support
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. DHS encourages all individuals,
regardless of immigration status, to receive the COVID-19 vaccine
once eligible under local distribution guidelines.
DHS carries out its mission, including all areas
within its COVID-19 response, without discrimination on the basis
of race, ethnicity, nationality, or other protected class, and in
compliance with law and policy. Further, DHS supports the equitable
and efficient distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine to all
populations, including historically underserved communities.
To reach underserved and rural communities, the
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in collaboration with
federal partners, will coordinate efforts to establish and support
fixed facilities, pop-up or temporary vaccination sites, and mobile
vaccination clinics. U.S. Immigration
and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border
Protection will not conduct enforcement operations at or near
vaccine distribution sites or clinics. Consistent with ICE’s
long-standing sensitive locations policy, ICE does not and will not
carry out enforcement operations at or near health care facilities,
such as hospitals, doctors' offices, accredited health clinics, and
emergent or urgent care facilities, except in the most extraordinary
of circumstances.
DHS is committed to ensuring that every individual
who needs a vaccine can get one, regardless of their immigration
status.
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