Undocumented people face vaccine obstacle
Florida requires proof of residency for inoculation
As coronavirus vaccines become more widely available, immigration advocates say it’s time for state officials to drop a policy that requires proof of Florida
residency to get inoculated — a measure billed as preventing so-called vaccine tourism, though it’s unclear if that was ever a widespread problem.
In January, state Surgeon General Scott Rivkees issued an advisory requiring that anyone being vaccinated show a Florida identification card to prove that they live in the state. For those who don’t have
Florida ID, certain official documents could be used instead. That alternative was presented so people who live in Florida parttime would not be excluded.
But the move had an additional consequence: It created a hurdle for Florida’s approximately 775,000 undocumented immigrants who are unlikely to have a Florida ID and may struggle to collect the alternative documentation. Undocumented immigrants are also likely to live in neighborhoods where COVID-19 outcomes are more severe and work in jobs that make social distancing difficult.
“We have a saying in Spanish that says, ‘Sometimes the cure is worse than the ailment,’ ” said Laura Pichardo-Cruz, executive
director of Hope CommUnity Center in Apopka. “I think we’re looking at that kind of situation, where the state is overcompensating for a problem that now in hindsight appears to have been fairly marginal and the people paying the price are people who are vulnerable, marginalized people, immigrants.”
The Florida Department of Health did not answer multiple requests for information indicating how widespread the problem of vaccine tourism was before the advisory was issued. A spokesperson also would not say if there was any plan to lift the advisory.
It was issued following a series of reports about wealthy foreigners traveling briefly to Florida for shots before returning home. As of Jan. 19, days before the advisory, 39,000 people who reside out of state had been vaccinated in Florida, according to CNN, about 3.5% of the 1.12 million people who had by that point gotten shots here. It’s unclear how many were tourists, as opposed to parttime residents.
At the time, Florida was offering vaccines to anyone older than 65, which differed from states following federal guidelines that set the age at 75, while also prioritizing essential workers.
But state-by-state eligibility rules are rapidly expanding and converging, ahead of a directive by President Joe Biden that all U.S. adults be eligible for shots by May 1.
Several states, including Texas, Arizona and Georgia, are set to begin offering shots to all adults in the coming days, while DeSantis has said he expects to do so next month.
Through Monday, roughly 122,000 out-of-state residents had been vaccinated in Florida, according to state data, or about 0.02 percent of the people who’ve been given at least one shot.
Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said at a recent press conference that even travel within the state to find easier access to vaccines has been limited.
“Our convention center site has been doing vaccinations for weeks now; we haven’t see the vaccine tourism really occurring,” he said. “There have been some that have come from other places but, at the same time, that the supply of vaccine is increasing here in Orange County, it’s increasing throughout the state of Florida. In fact, the available vaccine inventory is increasing for the entire nation. So I think as we see more vaccine inventory becoming available across the country, it will negate any reason for people to have to travel long distances just to come and get vaccinated.”
When the residency requirement was created, there was no indication that undocumented immigrants, the homeless, the poor and others who may not easily be able to prove their Florida residency were considered.
Rather that creating a list of acceptable residency documents specific to the vaccination process, Rivkees’ advisory pointed to the list of documents already in a statute that identified who was able to use medical marijuana. In lieu of a Florida ID, those hoping to get vaccinated in Florida must present at least two of the following documents:
A deed, proof of mortgage or a rental lease agreement. A utility hookup, work order or utility bill that is less than two months old.
Mail from a bank or federal, state or local government agency that is less than two months old.
One proof of residential address from a person with whom the seasonal resident resides along with a statement from the person with whom the seasonal resident resides stating that the seasonal resident does reside with him or her.
“Anyone who meets these requirements can get vaccinated in Florida,” said Jason Mahon, interim communications director for the Florida Department of Health.
But in many cases, it would be difficult for a person who is undocumented to present two of those documents, Pichardo-Cruz said, adding that even those who can have reported varying experiences at vaccination sites, with some getting shots and others being turned away.
Last month, the Department of Homeland Security issued a statement encouraging undocumented immigrants to get vaccinated and promising that U.S. Immigrant and Customs Enforcement agents would not conduct operations near vaccination sites.
“DHS and its Federal government partners fully support equal access to the COVID-19 vaccines and vaccine distribution sites for undocumented immigrants,” a statement issued Feb. 1 said. “It is a moral and public health imperative to ensure that all individuals residing in the United States have access to the vaccine. DHS encourages all individuals, regardless of immigration status, to receive the COVID-19 vaccine once eligible under local distribution guidelines.”
Days later, Republican lawmakers from Arizona and South Carolina argued for undocumented immigrants to be the last priority for vaccinations, getting access only after American citizens, according to NBC News.
Other states and counties that have similar residency requirements have broadened the ways those who want to be vaccinated can prove they live in the area. For example, in Los Angeles County in California, the list of documents that can be presented includes any postmarked letter, a library card, a membership to a gym or store club, or a letter from a faith-based organization, shelter or non-profit.
But even with a broadened ID requirements, a recent ABC News report from California’s Orange County showed two women who were undocumented and had proper ID were still turned away at Rite Aid because employees were not following eligibility protocols.
With no indication from Florida officials that there is a plan to lift the residency requirement even as supply of the vaccines continue to increase, Pichardo-Cruz said her organization is advising undocumented immigrants and others who don’t have Florida ID to keep trying to get vaccinated.
“A lot of this really relies on the folks at the vaccination sites and what they are going to accept,” she said. “So we’re telling folks to get as creative as possible.”
Her organization recommended bringing as much documentation as possible. For those who need to bring a letter from someone they live with, Pichardo-Cruz recommends bringing the person who wrote the letter to the vaccine site, too, if possible.
If an undocumented person is turned away once, she said they should try again.
“Help each other out as much as possible and hope that the person who is taking the identification at the vaccination site is more flexible and open minded, because we’re not seeing uniform experiences,” she said.