Undocumented immigrants in Florida getting shut out of access to COVID-19 vaccine
In the scorching heat, Doris Mejia slowly makes her way to the front of the vaccine line.
For the fifth time in a month, a worker asks if she has a Florida ID. She shakes her head no. Without it, no COVID-19 vaccine site has been willing to inoculate Mejia—an undocumented Salvadoran migrant living in Homestead — against the deadly virus.
For the single mother of four who makes ends meet as a farmworker and housekeeper, not being able to get the vaccine comes at a high price. Mejia suffers from heart issues, making her at higher risk of suffering complications from the virus. She’s also now short on cash after having taken time off work to make the long journey to try and get the shot.
“What we feel is that they don’t want immigrants vaccinated,” Mejia told the Miami Herald. “They see us as less, yet we work the most.”
Across the country, scores of undocumented immigrants– many of them essential workers– have been shut out from getting the COVID-19 vaccine, despite widening availability of the shots. In some instances, local governments are jumping through hoops to try to get the vulnerable population vaccinated, finding alternative ways to prove residency.
In Florida, vaccine recipients are required to show a valid Florida driver’s license or U.S. government-issued photo identification, a utility bill with a Florida address and the individual’s name, or a rental agreement. Mail from a financial institution or a government agency that shows the person’s name and Florida address can also be provided as proof.
But those requirements are not flexible enough, experts say, noting that many undocumented immigrants do not have a long-term lease.
“Most of our agricultural workers, day laborers and domestic workers have not had access to the vaccine,” said Oscar Londoño, executive director of WeCount!, a South Dade immigrant workers’ center. “The majority of them are housing-insecure families and they reported to us that they were turned away.”
Leslie Fajardo is one of them. On Wednesday, Fajardo camped out at a South Dade vaccination site starting at 3 a.m. so that she could be the first in line. By 8:30 a.m., she was told to go home because she didn’t meet the identification requirements.
“It’s my third time trying,” Fajardo said. “I went with a group of coworkers and we all were told the same thing.”
Melissa Taveras, a spokesperson for the Florida Immigrant Coalition, says reports of people being turned away have been “blowing up” the immigration group’s hotline.
“As news of the updated vaccine qualifications roll out, we are receiving calls from undocumented communities, many frontline essential workers, fearful to access vaccines, especially with Florida’s residency requirement,” Taveras said.
But it’s not just in Florida. Though eligibility requirements vary on a state-by-state basis, national immigration experts say tracking vaccine accessibility by migration status has been difficult, and note that asking for documentation may deter some immigrants and other vulnerable communities from even trying to get the shot.
“It’s slowing down our path to recovery. President Biden has been clear that anyone, regardless of their immigration status is eligible, for the COVID-19 vaccine, and yet we’re seeing people get turned away in some places as states and localities have adopted their own burdensome requirements for verifying eligibility,” said Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center.
She added: “The Centers for Disease Control could minimize this by swiftly issuing clarification that lack of documentation cannot be a reason to deny a person the vaccine. Our collective wellbeing depends on all of us, including immigrants, having access to the care we need.”
‘Nobody will be safe until everybody’s vaccinated’
According to Ashish Jha, dean of Brown University’s School of Public Health, targeted efforts to reach non-citizen immigrants will be central for preventing vaccine disparities. Jha says that doing so will be necessary to mitigate the disproportionate impact of the pandemic for underserved populations and achieve broad population immunity.
“Nobody will be safe until everybody’s vaccinated, and that includes everyone, regardless of immigration status,” he said.
The nearly 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. today face increased risks and challenges associated with the pandemic. Many work in essential jobs that were expected to be included in initial priority groups for COVID-19 vaccination.
The Guatemalan-Maya Center, a nonprofit that has served migrant families in Florida for decades, recently reached an agreement with the Palm Beach County Health Department allowing members to get the vaccine by showing a statement with the group’s official letterhead verifying their identity.
“We couldn’t count on the State of Florida so we had to figure out if something could be done on a local level,” said Lindsay McElroy, a spokesperson for group.
In an email to the Herald, the Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade said that it is “planning to provide outreach vaccination efforts to this population to ensure they have equal access to the vaccine.” An agency spokeswoman, Olga Connor, said specifics on what identification will be accepted have “not been ironed out.”
Nina Levine, a public information officer for the Florida Department of Health in Broward County, forwarded all questions to the department’s Central Florida office, which did not respond. The Florida governor’s office also did not respond to multiple requests for comment on vaccine access for the undocumented.
Fear, confusion over eligibility requirements
The patchwork of policies has added to the confusion.
White House officials, including the president, have said they want undocumented immigrants to be confident they can receive a vaccination without legal repercussions.
“I want to make sure they all are able to get vaccinated and so they’re protected from COVID, without the ICE or anyone else interfering,” Biden said during a February interview with Univision. “They should not be arrested for showing up for being able to get a vaccination.”
In a statement issued in February, the Department of Homeland Security echoed the president: “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.”
However, that guidance becomes moot when states implement their own requirements.
“It’s hit or miss,” said Taveras, noting that immigration advocates across the country are hearing mixed reports. “Most of the undocumented population isn’t getting it, although there are some lucky ones that are.”
Many vaccination sites across the country don’t require a government-issued identification to receive a vaccination, said Dr. Ranit Mishori, a senior adviser for Physicians for Human Rights who has helped set up vaccination sites in the District of Columbia. She said a utility bill or even a doctor’s note should be sufficient to prove eligibility.
She urged local governments and public health groups to clearly communicate the eligibility requirements for undocumented immigrants to receive the vaccine.
“It has to come from local organizations, it has to come from the health care system, it has to come from the city or municipality or the state,” Mishori said. “It has to be stated very clearly when you sign up that the only thing that matters is your eligibility and not your residency or citizenship status.”
Undocumented immigrants, she noted, have shown a hesitancy to sign up for a vaccination amid stories that some have been asked for an ID.
“I haven’t left my house for a whole year, only to work and the grocery store, all to protect myself from COVID,” said Maria Elena Jimenez, a migrant from Colombia with heart disease who says fear of getting apprehended by immigration authorities has kept her from going to a vaccine site. “I have no kids or family. It’s a lonely life, but hearing stories that my friends have been turned away makes me feel less than... like my life doesn’t matter.”
A FEMA official said each state determines its own eligibility and procedures for its vaccination sites, even at locations assisted by the federal agency.
Under the Trump administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sent data use agreements to states asking them to share some personal information on vaccinated individuals for record-keeping. Some states refused to sign that agreement, including California, Kansas and New York.
Florida, federal sources told McClatchy, did not refuse, and signed the information-sharing agreement as written. Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office did not respond to the Herald’s inquiries seeking a copy of the agreement and more information.
The issue of personally identifiable information has been in question since the fall. There was widespread concern it would dissuade undocumented people from getting vaccinated.
“With data user agreements submitted by nearly all 64 jurisdictions and others currently nearing completion, the administration continues working tirelessly to ensure efficient, effective, and equitable access to a life-saving vaccine with delivery to every zip code in the United States,” the Trump administration responded at the time.
Officials said the information would be used to “harness the full power” of the public and private sector’s efforts to combat the virus, and would not include sensitive information like social security, passport or driver’s license numbers.
Records show that in a November letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, New York governor and chair of the National Governors Association, Andrew M. Cuomo, expressed concerns that “reporting personally identifiable COVID vaccine data may create a lack of trust and discourage people from getting vaccinated.”
HHS responded that collecting patient information is “critically necessary to ensure...matching the correct second dose to the correct patient.”
Mejia is still holding out hope she’ll eventually get the first dose. Next month will be a year since she contracted COVID-19, which almost led to homelessness.
“I know I’m a farmworker. I pick fruits. But I’m still important,” she said during a Facetime interview. “If I get sick again, what will I do?”
This story was originally published April 8, 2021 at 8:00 AM.
