Immigration inadmissibility and covid-19 vaccination: who benefits and who is left behind?

• Author: Alexis Manson
• Position: J.D. Candidate, 2023, Georgetown University Law Center; B.A. International Affairs, summa cum laude, 2019, University of Georgia
• Pages: 499-505

IMMIGRATION INADMISSIBILITY AND COVID-19

VACCINATION: WHO BENEFITS AND WHO IS

LEFT BEHIND?

ALEXIS MANSON*

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION ......................................... 499

I. COVID-19 AS A BIOSECURITY CONCERN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500

II. LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE COVID-19 IMMIGRANT VACCINE

MANDATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 501

III. IMMIGRANTS’ VULNERABILITY TO COVID-19 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 503

CONCLUSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 505

INTRODUCTION

Since March 2020, COVID-19 has been at the forefront of policy around

the world, ranging from social distancing regulations and mask mandates to

travel bans and more recently, vaccine mandates. With over 4.5 million

deaths globally from COVID-19 and over 650,000 deaths nationally, the pan-

demic raises concerns as to the United States’ ability to counteract biological

attacks.

1

In an attempt to respond to and reign in the threat that COVID-19

continues to pose to the United States, the Biden administration has

announced vaccine mandates covering members of the U.S. armed forces,

2

businesses with 100 or more employees,

3

and immigrants.

4

In response, a

* Alexis Manson, J.D. Candidate, 2023, Georgetown University Law Center; B.A. International

Affairs, summa cum laude, 2019, University of Georgia. © 2021, Alexis Manson.

1. WHO Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dashboard, WORLD HEALTH ORG. (Sept. 30, 2021, 5:15 PM),

https://perma.cc/77LT-TD8R.

2. Lolita C. Baldor, COVID Vaccines to be Required for Military under New US Plan, AP NEWS

(Aug. 9, 2021), https://perma.cc/HA7R-VGP9.

3. Kevin Liptak & Kaitlan Collins, Biden Announces New Vaccine Mandates that Could Cover 100

million Americans, CNN (Sept. 9, 2021, 9:01 PM), https://perma.cc/2ASN-JJ8Z.

4. Bryan Pietsch, U.S. Will Require Most New Immigrants to Get Coronavirus Vaccine, WASH. POST

(Sept. 15, 2021, 4:40 AM), https://perma.cc/HCW3-33JM.

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