Mexico To Ensure Vaccination of Its Migrants in the US

On Wednesday, Mexican authorities announced that they would secure the vaccination for migrants in the U.S. through the North American trade pact. This as the country carries out a nationwide COVID-19 vaccination campaign.

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“We will invoke the labor chapter of the USMCA free trade agreement,” assured Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard during a press conference. The official quoted the articles 23.3 and 23.8 from the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which established workers' rights.

The minister noticed that although receiving the COVID-19 vaccine is not a right itself according to the agreement; it is a right that the workers are not exposed to contagion. "Hence, by applying the vaccine, it is a responsibility of both countries that all workers, regardless of their migratory status, receive the vaccine," the official explained.

"We consider that any discrimination against Mexican workers violates the Free Trade Agreement, the labor rights as well as the understanding between both countries. We will be following the situation because it is an obligation of the U.S. government signed in a current international agreement."

Likewise, Ebrard recalled that U.S. workers in Mexico also enjoyed this right and called for solidarity with their Mexican counterparts and the contribution of president-elect Joe Biden's administration.