President Joe Biden said Wednesday on MSNBC that citizens of foreign countries who have overstayed U.S.-issued visas should get an “earned pathway to citizenship” so they do not have to fear getting the coronavirus vaccine or dropping their kids off at school.
Anchor Lawrence O’Donnell said, “I have a question from my Telemundo colleague. What do you say to people who are worried that their immigration status is a reason not to get the vaccine?”
Biden said, “Well, I say they should not worry. They should get the vaccine. They should get the vaccine.”
He continued, “What I have said is that is one thing for people who are in the country here to have, if they show up for a doctor’s appointment, they show up to drop their child off to school or etcetera. We should lay off those people.”
Biden added, “That’s why I introduced a comprehensive immigration bill. There are 11 million undocumented people in the United States, the vast majority of whom overstayed their visas. We should move about getting that taken care of. Making sure there is a pathway to earned citizenship and get underway. They should not be in a position where if they are trying to save their lives or their health if they do what needed to be done to make it safe for those around them as well, they should not be penalized for that.”
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