Two illegal immigrant women were rejected at Rite Aid pharmacies in two separate incidents in Southern California. Now, the pharmaceutical retail giant is issuing a public apology to women and assuring the public that they will receive the vaccines.
This is not the first time that COVID-19 vaccines have been denied to illegal immigrants in pharmacies. A spokesman for Rite Aid noted that only two complaints have been filed against the company, although it has given more than a million vaccines.
Rite Aid spokesman Christopher Savarese described both cases as “isolated” incidents resulting from store workers who did not follow established protocols for vaccine eligibility. Employees will be re-educated about the protocols to ensure that everyone is on the same page, he said.
“We administered more than 1.2 million vaccines and we had two of those complaints,” said Savarese on Sunday.
In a statement later sent to ABC News, Rite Aid employees said, “In an unprecedented implementation, there will be errors and there will always be areas for providers to improve – we are looking for these opportunities every day.”
Savarese added: “It is very important for us that this is corrected. Both of the situations we are talking about have been resolved and both people will receive their vaccine at Rite Aid. ”
A UCLA student who was studying to be an immigration lawyer took the story to a local ABC News affiliate when his mother was denied vaccination. He was asked to present the Social Security card and was only able to present his foreign consular identification. Sebastian Araujo says that if his mother was rejected, there are others who will also be rejected, although he has not provided any evidence of this charge. He posted on social media after the situation was corrected and his mother was vaccinated.
I almost forgot, but here is my mother after receiving her vaccine. thank you very much for your support. we will still advocate to ensure that no undocumented individuals are denied the secret vaccine because of their immigration status. pic.twitter.com/387tcU14Ss
– Sebastian Araujo (@sebbaaaass) March 17, 2021
A nanny’s employer in Orange County also reported a problem with the nanny getting the vaccine. She was rejected twice on the same day.
Rager said his employee even provided Rite Aid with an out-of-state ID and a letter he wrote making sure that she cares for her children. But the Rite Aid pharmacist in Laguna Niguel, according to Rager, insisted on seeing the woman’s Social Security card and inaccurately told her that the vaccine’s priority goes to American citizens.
“These questions should not be asked of anyone, and our entire country needs to be vaccinated. So I don’t see why anyone should be denied when they really want to get a vaccine, ”said Rager.
No word on whether he will help to correct his nanny’s legal situation in this country. The documentation that pharmacy employees asked to see – Social Security cards – is the trick here. Cards are a way of proving legal status in the United States, but the Biden government has bowed to insist that citizenship is not necessary to receive vaccines. In fact, you should remember that Biden originally launched the idea that his government would vaccinate terrorists detained in GITMO as a first priority, while the elderly and other first-rate Americans waited. Biden, Kamala and DHS administrators emphasized in public statements that the lack of legal status is not an obstacle to receiving vaccination.
On February 1, the federal Department of Homeland Security issued a statement that the agency and its “federal government partners fully support equal access to COVID-19 vaccines and vaccine distribution locations 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 as soon as they are eligible under local distribution guidelines, ”says the DHS statement.
As I mentioned, Rite Aid pharmacies in California are not the first to apologize for refusing illegal immigrants for the COVID vaccination.
However, confusion over whether undocumented immigrants qualify for the vaccine has continued to occur not only in Southern California, but elsewhere in the country. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley issued an apology to at least 14 people who were rejected on February 20 at their vaccination site because they were unable to provide proof of residency in the United States.
A message for our campus and RGV community: pic.twitter.com/QaebNMFAzL
– UTRGV (@utrgv) February 21, 2021
I received the first injection of the Pfizer vaccine. My second injection is scheduled for two weeks. I don’t remember asking for my Social Security number when I signed up. I don’t think I was even asked anything about health insurance. I remember being asked about my date of birth and whether I am a front-line employee or teacher. So reading about employees asking for proof of legal residency in California is awkward. The government is making the vaccine available without residency or insurance requirements. I literally just showed my commitment confirmation and my photo ID – my driver’s license – and that was it. A lady took my temperature and showed me the elevator to take me to the vaccination area.
It does not appear to be anything disastrous on the part of the pharmacy staff, although an activist like the immigration law student probably wants us to think it is. It looks like a training problem. The United States, led by Donald Trump, generously made COVID vaccines available to anyone living here, from the moment the vaccines were made available. It is a public health decision. It is for the benefit of all that those around us are vaccinated against the coronavirus, especially until collective immunity is achieved.