Border Patrol to fire up to 5K agents over vaccine mandate
OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 12:34 PM PT – Saturday, October 23, 2021
U.S. Border Patrol plans to fire agents who don’t receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
According to reports on Friday, the agency is looking to enforce Joe
Biden’s federal vaccine mandate by the end of November. They said those
who refuse to do so without an approved religious or medical exemption
could face action up to termination.
Critics have said this would only further complicate the crisis at
the southern border, where over 1.5 million illegal immigrants have
crossed in 2021 alone. Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs (R) said he believes as
many as 5,000 agents could separate from Border Patrol over the issue.
“Think of how many people, like on the border, Border Patrol. How
many of these Border Patrol agents are going to separate? I’ve been told
it could be as many as 5,000,” said Biggs. “And if that many were to
leave, as porous as our border already is, you’d truly have a national
security crisis along your border.”
According to the Department of Homeland Security, the last date to receive the vaccine before being terminated is Nov. 8.
“DHS is actively working to ensure compliance with President 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,” said CBP Media Relations Headquarters
Branch Chief Justin Long.
