“DHS [Department of Homeland Security] is actively working to ensure compliance with President [Joe] Biden’s Executive Order requiring that all federal employees be vaccinated against COVID-19 by November 22, except in limited circumstances where an exception is required by law,” CBP Media Relations Headquarters Branch Chief Justin Long told The Epoch Times Thursday via email, responding to a question of what will happen to border patrol agents if they don’t get vaccinated by the deadline.
“Employees who choose to remain unvaccinated for COVID-19 and have not received or have a pending request for a legally required exemption will be subject to discipline, up to and including removal from federal service,” the email reads.
Long didn’t respond to how many border patrol agents have been fully or partially vaccinated or if any exemptions have been granted.
But Long said that DHS has developed an online tool for personnel to report their current vaccination status, called the Vaccination Status System (VSS). This system is available to all DHS employees except the U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Coast Guard, which have their own reporting systems.
“If that many were to leave, as porous as our border already is, you truly have a national security crisis along your border,” Biggs said.
The government is mandating vaccine upon border patrol agents, but not “people who enter the country illegally, and some estimates are well over 20 percent have COVID,” Biggs said.
Long said in the email that “we expect reported vaccination rates to increase throughout the next few weeks both due to an increase in COVID-19 vaccinations and an increase in reporting.”
Two Congressmen also expressed concern that unvaccinated border patrol agents are facing removal amid the deteriorating border crisis.
“It is simply unbelievable that the Biden Administration will allow COVID-positive illegal aliens to surge across the border but will terminate dedicated law enforcement officers who do not comply with Biden’s mandate,” the letter said.
The two Congressmen urged Mayorkas to find “reasonable accommodations for CBP officers” who choose not to receive the vaccine. However, from the email CBP sent to The Epoch Times, the only accommodations are likely religious or medical exemptions.
“Employees may also request a reasonable accommodation, including a religious or medical exemption, by Nov. 9,” the email reads. Employees also need to certify their vaccination status by the same day—Nov. 9.
