Minnesota Rep. Pete Stauber has demanded that the Biden administration halt the COVID vaccine mandate for those serving as Border Patrol agents. Stauber said in a tweet, “Border Patrol agents are heroes [and] shouldn’t be fired over their vaccination status. We need every one of them to address the Biden Border Crisis.”
Border Patrol agents are heroes & shouldn't be fired over their vaccination status. We need every one of them to address the #BidenBorderCrisis.
I was proud to join @RepStefanik & @RepBrianBabin in demanding Biden halt vaccine mandates for Border Patrol. https://t.co/xnvBx72IjG
— Pete Stauber (@RepPeteStauber) November 2, 2021
Stauber signed onto the letter, along with 61 other House Republicans, initially authored by Representatives Elise Stefanik (R-NY-21) and Brian Babin (R-TX-36).
The letter says the representatives have “serious concerns” about the Biden administration’s handling of the border crisis and the impact of the mass firing of unvaccinated Border Patrol agents.
“We have serious concerns about your vaccine mandate for Federal employees and how it will impact the already understaffed and overworked United States Border Patrol and our overall national security,” they wrote.
They wrote that the Border Patrol agents should be receiving better treatment by the federal government in general and that the COVID vaccine mandate would be adding greater harm.
“Our patriotic Border Patrol agents serve on the front lines of the chaos you created, protecting America’s sovereignty, and providing humanitarian and life-saving services to illegal migrants,” the letter says.
Representative Jim Hagedorn (R-MN-01) also signed the letter. Hagedorn said, “Our Border Patrol agents are already overworked as they protect our country from the Biden Border Crisis. They should NOT lose their jobs for not taking the vaccine.”
Our Border Patrol agents are already overworked as they protect our country from the #BidenBorderCrisis. They should NOT lose their jobs for not taking the vaccine.
Proud to join @RepStefanik & @RepBrianBabin in standing up for our Border Patrol agents! https://t.co/fzuM3A5gWr
— Congressman Jim Hagedorn (@RepHagedorn) November 3, 2021
“This mandate is wholly incongruent with the principles of individual choice and medical freedom, puts families in our districts at risk of financial ruin, and threatens our national security by flooding our communities with undocumented, unvetted migrants,” the letter to President Joe Biden said.
They asked that the Biden administration complete the following actions:
An immediate suspension of COVID vaccine mandates for Border Patrol agents, or any first responder tasked with securing our borders and addressing the ongoing border crisis
General available data on vaccination rates for Border Patrol agents, with respect to medical confidentiality, including the number of Border Patrol agents who have previously contracted COVID and have natural immunity
Steps your administration is taking to protect Border Patrol agents from COVID exposure while carrying out their duties, as well as protecting Americans from COVID infected immigrants being relocated into their communities
A determination of the impact of mass-termination of Border Patrol agents on our border security and your administration’s plan to address current and future staffing shortages at our nation’s borders.
They closed the letter by asking that the Biden administration reinstate “common sense border security policies.”
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Hayley Feland is a reporter with The Minnesota Sun and The Wisconsin Daily Star | Star News Network. Follow Hayley on Twitter or like her Facebook page. Send news tips to [email protected]
