Freedom Come Rain

Christians waiting to migrate stand firm against the jab Given Donald Trump’s anti-vaccination views, Dane Lewis* is hoping the 47th US president-elect will reverse the current policy where immigrants are required to be vaccinated to gain legal entry into the country. Lewis’ mother-in-law started the immigration process over 15 years ago and they have met all the requirements besides being vaccinated. Both he and his wife have refused to take the jab, despite coming under pressure to do so. This has caused the entire process to be stalled. They filed a waiver with the US Homeland Security more than a year ago and are still waiting to hear if they will be exempted from this vaccine mandate. “We are just here waiting and watching God do His thing. We are hopeful now that with this change in administration, we won’t even have to hear from Homeland Security; the whole matter would just be dropped,” Lewis said. Both immigration reform and the COVID-19 vaccination are areas on which the Democrats and the Republicans have not been able to find common ground. Although the Trump administration had accelerated the development and rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine in 2019 under a project dubbed Operation Warp Speed, the president-elect has become very sceptical of vaccines in recent years. There are concerns that he will spread this vaccine scepticism into the mainstream of the American government and life. Earlier this year, he promised to rehire service members who lost their jobs over the military's coronavirus vaccine mandate and also pledged to cutfederal funding for any school pushing a vaccine or mask mandate. According to CNN, Trump made an appeal to anti-vaccine voters during his election campaign by landing the endorsement of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., one of the nation’s most prominent vaccine sceptics — and appointing him to his transition team. He has also met with a delegation of vaccine-sceptical activists — including those pushing an end to mandates and certain types of vaccines. Lewis said that although he is not an American, he is elated with Trump’s win. He is opposed to the fact that persons are being forced to take the vaccine, despite widespread concerns about its impact on the body. Both he and his wife are Christians and his wife has had medical challenges, which they outlined in their request for a waiver. Despite making their stance known from the onset, the family kept on receiving calls and emails reminding them that they hadn’t yet taken the jab. “They called us constantly. Aren’t you guys coming to take the vaccines?” He recounted. A similar complaint was made by a school teacher earlier this year. She told Freedom Come Rain that her visa application process started 10 years ago, and she was looking forward to joining her family in the US, but when she was advised that she would be required to take the COVID vaccine as part of her medical precondition in July, she flatly refused. “It is like paying to commit suicide. Why would anybody want to do that?” she asked. She said she made her stance known verbally and in writing via email but the hospital had delayed forwarding her documents to the US Embassy so that the immigration process could continue and her documents, including her passport, could be returned to her. Instead, she received several calls reminding her that she hadn’t taken the vaccine. “I am not going to take it for religious purposes. It is my personal conviction,” said the educator, who noted that her interview at the US Embassy went very well, with the only issue being the outstanding medical documents. “I am just not going to do it, and I feel at peace with my decision,” she insisted. Dr. Tanisha Clarke Campbell, who is the medical supervisor for the US Medical Centre at the Andrews Memorial Hospital, toldFreedom Come Rainat the time that the vaccine would need to be taken once vaccines are available in the country. “Vaccine refusal, when it is documented, is grounds for [visa] refusal,” she said. Lewis, who had travelled to the US several times before with his family, said they were all denied non-immigrant visas when they went to the embassy recently. Their visas were all “canceled without prejudice”. They were told that the pending matter with their immigrant visa would need to be resolved first. The family had paid the US$930 required to get the waiver, but they are yet to hear anything further regarding how their request is proceeding. Many Caribbean nationals are disappointed that Harris lost in her bid to become president due to concerns that Trump will order the mass deportation of illegal immigrants. However, as Lewis reflects on his family’s dilemma, he sees whereby equal concern needs to be given regarding the Democrat’s policies that are preventing migrants from entering the US legally. *Real name changed to protect identity of interviewee

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