On Thursday, April 21, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it has extended the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for illegal aliens who want to enter America by land or sea borders. DHS explained that it was doing this by extending its Title 19 requirements, which gave the Biden administration the power to keep enforcing COVID-19 vaccine mandates for illegals.
Illegals at America's land and sea borders need to verbally attest to their vaccination status and show Customs and Border Protection agents a written record of vaccination from a government health agency or other recognized government institution, along with their passports and other necessary documents.
This requirement applies to all illegals, regardless of whether they are traveling for essential or non-essential purposes. It does not apply to American citizens, U.S. nationals or lawful permanent residents. (Related: States form 'Border Strike Force;' refuse to wait for Biden to do something about surge.)
"These requirements were extended in consultation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and several other federal agencies," wrote the DHS in a press release.
International travelers arriving in the United States by air over the age of two and regardless of citizenship must provide a negative COVID-19 test before arriving. Non-U.S. citizens must also show proof of vaccination.
Vaccine mandate policy criticized for affecting economic recovery
There are some very limited exceptions to the DHS requirements, including for those who can prove they have recently recovered from COVID-19, certain essential workers and students.
But in January, the DHS extended its COVID-19 vaccination requirements to include students and foreign essential workers, including truck drivers and nurses. This move was strongly criticized by business groups as another example of the federal government encroaching on economic activity.
Chuck Lippstreau, president of the Michigan Agri-Business Association, strongly criticized the DHS for its "failure to provide commonsense exceptions to this policy," including truck drivers bringing agricultural goods into America.
Lippstreau added that the vaccine mandate "flies in the face of reality on the ground here in Michigan, where our agricultural sector continues facing supply disruptions, increases in cross-border trucking costs and an ongoing driver shortage."
"The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to protecting public health while facilitating lawful trade and travel, which is essential to our economic security," claimed DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in a statement.
But the expansion of the mandate to include essential workers and the strong criticism from members of the business community showed that the White House may not properly understand what is essential to economic security.
Homeland Security has not provided an expiration date for the COVID-19 vaccine requirement, only stating that it could "amend or rescind the requirements at any time."
"In determining whether and when to rescind this order, DHS anticipates that it will take account of whether the vaccination requirements for non-U.S. air travelers remain in place," said the DHS.
The extension of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for illegal border crossers came just days after a federal judge in Florida struck down a CDC-imposed mandate requiring travelers to wear masks on public transit across the country. The Department of Justice said it plans to appeal the judge's decision, following a recommendation to do so from the CDC.
Learn more about America's issues with immigration and border security at Migrants.news.
Watch this clip from InfoWars as host Harrison Smith talks about how border crossings are reaching record highs.
This video is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com.
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