Biden requiring stricter COVID testing of legal travelers even as illegal immigrants have gotten a pass

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The Biden government will introduce stricter tests for vaccinated and unvaccinated legal travelers entering the US, given the growing threat posed by the Omicron variant, even if illegal migrants are largely untested.

President Biden’s expanded winter COVID-19 strategy, announced Thursday, requires that every traveler entering the country, including returning U.S. citizens, be tested a day before boarding their flight, according to the CDC . The regulation also applies to vaccinated travelers who previously only had to present a negative test three days before their flight at the latest.

President Joe Biden.
(AP photo / Carolyn Kaster)

But the Biden government has refused to make similar requirements for those crossing the border illegally, claiming in September that these people have no plans to “stay here for any length of time”.

BIDEN’s vaccination mandate does not include illegal immigrants

“When individuals come across the border, they are both screened to see if they have symptoms when they have symptoms,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said at the time.

“The intent is for them to be quarantined,” she added. “This is our process, they have no intention of staying here for long. I don’t think it’s the same. It’s not the same.”

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.
(Photo by Drew Angerer / Getty Images)

As part of the improved strategy to combat the variant of Omicron, the White House is considering a policy requiring travelers to take an additional test three to five days after entering the country. More controversial, the government is considering requiring all travelers to self-quarantine for seven days, even if they get a negative test. US citizens would also be subject to this requirement, with fines and penalties for those who fail to comply.

According to federal authorities, more than 200,000 people came into the country daily by plane in November, a number that doesn’t include Thanksgiving. Health officials stressed that even if a quarter of those trips were in line with updated regulations, it could help scientists isolate thousands of infected people who could spread the virus.

However, there is no sign that the government is reconsidering its stance on testing illegal migrants crossing the border, although border officials met 164,303 people at the border in October, the last month for which data is available. This figure excludes “escape routes”, the number of people who were able to sneak across the border without being arrested. The US Border Patrol estimates that more than 400,000 such people have entered the country illegally in the past 12 months.

President Joe Biden. REUTERS / Evelyn Hockstein

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Almost 12,000 border guards have tested positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic began, 51 of whom have died from the virus.

The White House did not immediately respond to a Fox News request for comment.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-admin-requiring-stricter-covid-testing-of-legal-travelers-but-not-illegal-immigrants