Biden supports free coronavirus testing and vaccination for undocumented immigrants

Former Vice President Joe Biden said in an interview that aired Thursday that he supports free coronavirus testing and vaccination for undocumented immigrants.

“Every person in the country, whether they’re documented or undocumented, should have access to a vaccine, if and when it occurs, should have access to testing and treatment and hospitalization if it relates to the virus,” he said during a forum hosted by the National Association of Black Journalists and National Association of Hispanic Journalists.

“And that should occur, period. It’s in the interest of everyone that everyone be taken care of, and everyone should be able to be eligible for that.” 

Biden also clarified his stance on health coverage for undocumented immigrants overall, saying that he supports extending federal benefits to those who are working and paying taxes.

“If they are working in the United States of America and they are paying taxes, they should have access to health care. They should have access to what everybody else has access to,” he said.

Biden previously said he supports providing undocumented immigrants with access to federal health care exchanges that were established under the Affordable Care Act so they can then buy private insurance. 

The wide-ranging interview also discussed several other immigration-related topics, including the border wall. Biden maintained “there will not be another foot of wall constructed in my administration” and that he will not confiscate private land to build the barrier.

The interview comes as the government scrambles to obtain a vaccine for the coronavirus amid case surges in states across the country.

President Trump has said a vaccine may be possible for distribution, at least to some Americans, by the end of the calendar year, but experts have said the process of developing a vaccine could extend into mid-2021.