Legislation introduced by Rep. Paul Gosar has become law, finally lifting requirement that mandated foreign travelers to take a COVID-19 vaccine to enter the United States.
As of midnight on Friday, those entering the United States legally at an official port of entry no longer need to be vaccinated against COVID-19, making America one of the last countries to do so. The lifting of the mandate coincided with the ending of the Public Health Emergency declaration, which included the removal of other powers, such as the expiration of Title 42 at the border.
Rep. Paul Gosar introduced H J Res 7 to end the National Emergency declared after Covid, and Biden signed it into law in April. For the first time in years, legal travelers may enter the United States without proving they have received vaccines.
Gage Skidmore / Flickr (Edited)
In an exclusive statement to Valiant News, Gosar celebrated the lifting of the mandate, which he said was “long overdue”:
“Since taking office, Joe Biden has welcomed with open arms more than 6.5 million lawbreakers through our southern border. Biden’s asinine COVID-19 vaccination mandate excluded the illegals flooding into our country, despite nearly 20% testing positive for COVID-19 and no doubt causing the spread of the virus throughout the country, including my state of Arizona. Yet, if you were a foreign national legally traveling to the United States, you were denied entry unless fully vaccinated. By all accounts, the pandemic is over, and has been for some time. The lifting of this arbitrary and authoritarian mandate was long overdue.”
H J Res 7 ended a number of federal health care programs, along with other removing other powers that included the ability to place health services under military control, and shifted the responsibility for the development and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines away from the federal government.
Under the COVID national emergency declaration, 123 emergency powers can be invoked by Biden, including the power to draft Americans without consent and place health services under military control.
The Biden Regime shouldn’t have that power.
Biden’s pandemic powers must end.
— Rep. Paul Gosar, DDS (@RepGosar) January 12, 2023
In August of last year, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre actually denied that illegal immigrants could cross the southern border without having taken the vaccine, in an attempt to defend the Biden administration’s policy on barring the unvaccinated from the country at normal ports of entry.
“That’s not how it works,” she said, while responding to Fox News’ Peter Doocy. “It’s not like somebody walks over and, that’s not…” she continued, before breaking out into awkward laughter.
How does Karine think illegal immigration works?
DOOCY: If somebody walks into Texas or Arizona unvaccinated, they're allowed to stay? Why?
KJP: But that's not how it works… It's not like somebody walks over *laughs*Is this an act or does she actually not get it? pic.twitter.com/axj0IW6KA4
— Bill D'Agostino (@Banned_Bill) August 29, 2022
The vaccine mandate to enter had been repeatedly renewed since its October 2021 implementation, with push back being seen from a number of Republicans, but most prominently from Reps. Thomas Massie and Gosar.
In February, the House passed Massie’s HR 185, which would have immediately ended the mandate, but was not picked up by the Senate.
My bill to end the COVID-19 vaccine mandate on visitors to the United States arriving by air passed the House of Representatives today on a bipartisan vote of 227-201. 220 Republicans and 7 Democrats voted to end Biden's mandate! Please urge the Senate to vote on this bill. pic.twitter.com/ooO5WkOeWa
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) February 8, 2023
Despite almost all Democrats voting against HR 185, many of them support open borders for illegal immigrants, in what appears to be an extremely inconsistent policy decision.
Over 60 of those that voted against the ending of the vaccine entry restriction, including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Cori Bush, Joaquin Castro, Adam Schiff, and Ruben Gallego, demanded in a letter in January that migrants be allowed to enter over the southern border in order to seek asylum. There was no mention of rejecting unvaccinated migrants in the letter.
