White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki brushed off a question at Friday's press briefing about the new vaccine mandate for employers with more than 100 workers – and why it should not also apply to migrants at the southern border.
She got asked about the juxtaposed policies by Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy, who regularly peppers Biden with questions about the border.
The reporter at first asked her 'why is it it that you're trying to require anybody with a job, or anybody who has a job, or anybody who goes to school, to get a COVID-19 vaccine, but you're not requiring that of migrants who continue to walk across the southern border.'
Psaki responded that the objective is 'to get as many people vaccinated across the country as humanly possible,' adding that when 'more people are vaccinated, whether they are migrants or whether they are workers, protects more people in the United States.'
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the goal was 'to get as many people vaccinated across the country as humanly possible,' but breezed by a question about why businesses face a new mandate without a policy for vaccinating migrants at the southern border
Then, Doocy reminded her it was a new requirement for businesses who have more than 100 employees. It's not a requirement for migrants at the southern border. Why?'
'That's correct,' she responded, quickly dispensing with the question and moving on.
The Homeland Security Department said in a report early last month that it was monitoring the situation at the border but did not make a final decision on whether to provide Johnson & Johnson shots to migrants who come into US custody.
According to a report last month, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been stepping up vaccinations, but thousands of immigrants have refused.
DHS is not conducting enforcement activities near vaccination sites in an effort to boost vaccines. Some Republicans, including Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, have argued against vaccinating immigrants without legal status.
Officials want to guard against outbreaks at US facilities, and avoid further spread within the community.
