As vaccination rates for the Chinese Communist virus (Neocoronavirus) increase in the United States, the question of whether to implement vaccine passports in the United States has become a hot topic of debate. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said on May 28 that the federal government and DHS are evaluating whether to use a vaccine passport system for travelers entering and leaving the United States. On the same day, Texas Republican U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) announced that he would introduce a Senate bill that would ban the implementation of vaccine passports.
In recent weeks, more than 20 U.S. states have taken action to explicitly ban the use of the vaccine passport system. Cruz, on the other hand, is proposing to impose a vaccine passport ban for the first time in the federal Senate.
In an interview with Fox News, Cruz said he sponsored the “No Vaccine Passport Act” even though he himself has been vaccinated. He said, “I think that while vaccine passports give people a lot of freedom, it’s also very likely to provide opportunities for government abuse. And I don’t think everyone should be forced to get vaccinated; it should be a personal choice. People should be able to make choices based on their health and what they need.”
Cruz said the bill would “prohibit any federal-wide vaccine passport” system and would also prohibit the White House from “taking any steps to mandate vaccinations in response to the new coronavirus,” and it includes a ban on employment discrimination under the pretext of vaccine passports.
Cruz said he believes the proposal will have bipartisan support, noting that White House officials have said the federal government will not authorize vaccine passports. He said, “If Democrats believe in the tenets of their own party, they should support this bill.”
White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters May 28 in response to a question about the vaccine passport statement proposed by DHS Secretary Mayorkas: “Our [the Biden administration’s] position on vaccine passports is unchanged …… There will be no federal vaccination database, and there will be no federal regulations requiring everyone to be certified for vaccination.”
When pressed further about the impact of vaccine passports on international travel, Pierre said, “The U.S. government recognizes that other countries have or may already have foreign entry requirements …… We will monitor these situations and help all U.S. travelers meet these requirements. Even so, the federal government will not require anyone to obtain a certificate of vaccination.”
The European Union and some Asian governments and the airline industry are reportedly now pushing hard for a vaccine passport for the Chinese Communist virus. These governments are developing relevant mobile apps that allow travelers to use such programs to prove they have been vaccinated and thus avoid quarantine requirements at their destinations.
More than 20 countries already allow vaccinated Americans to enter the country, including: Anguilla, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Ecuador, Estonia, French Polynesia (Tahiti), Republic of Georgia, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Iceland, Israel, Lebanon Montenegro, Nepal, and Seychelles, among others. Some European countries, including France and Spain, have also allowed vaccinated Americans to enter the country after it opens in June.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) stated back in late March of this year that implementing any type of vaccine passport system would likely result in system failure, fraud, or abuse, and the consequences would be very worrisome.
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