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“I don’t expect illegal immigrants to be part of the vaccines,” Republican Nebraska Governor Pete said Monday. Ricketts Mexico claims Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts (center) on the refusal to apply vaccines against COVID – 19 to undocumented immigrants. Photo: Chris Kleponis / Getty Images
By: EFE 10 from January 2021
The Mexican Government, through its consul in Nebraska, Guadalupe Sánchez, claimed in a letter addressed to the governor of that US state, Republican Pete Ricketts, for excluding undocumented migrants from the covid vaccination plan – 19.
“ It was very worrying to hear his statements, made on January 4, 2021 , in the sense that undocumented meatpacking workers they could not receive the vaccine, “said the diplomat in the letter dated January 6, but released this Thursday by the Foreign Ministry.
In the text, the consul argued that “the possibility of receiving the covid vaccine – 16 should be based on measurements of sa public lud ”. The official highlighted that, in contrast, the Government of Mexico promised to apply the vaccine to all people residing in Mexican territory, stating that there will be no discrimination based on “nationality or immigration status.”
The letter responds to the request made on Wednesday by the president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who asked the Secretary of Foreign Relations (SRE) to address what was said by the governor of Nebraska.
Republican Ricketts suggested Monday that the undocumented would not receive the antidote despite being essential to the state’s food industry. In Nebraska, two of every three of the 26, 1200 employees of the The meat industry is undocumented, according to data from the Migration Policy Institute cited by Consul Sánchez.
The diplomat also reported the death of 16 Mexican nationals in Nebraska who worked in the food supply chain. Also, almost 80 % of migrants without papers are essential workers, as shared by Maki Teramoto, general director of Protection of Mexicans Abroad of the SRE.
López Obrador recalled on Wednesday that in the United States they have only applied 5 million vaccines, so there is still an opportunity to manage the inclusion of undocumented immigrants . In the United States there are about 10. 5 million undocumented immigrants, according to data from Pew Research Center.
Of these, an estimate of 47% are Mexican, which is equivalent to 4.9 million. Faced with an express question, López Obrador asserted that Mexico would vaccinate its countrymen in the United States if the governors deny them access to the drug.
Mexico, which accumulates almost 1.5 million cases and close to 100, 000 deaths from covid – 19, is one of the first countries to start vaccination against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. However, the country has only received slightly more than 100, 000 doses of Pfizer and BioNTech antidote, all applied to healthcare personnel.
Keep reading: AMLO promises undocumented Mexicans living in the United States, access to the vaccine against CO VINE-19
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