By Steve Neavling
With less than two weeks before all federal employees must be vaccinated, one of five Border Patrol agents and employees have not been inoculated, The Washington Post reports, citing internal data.
As of Nov. 10, 77% of employees were fully vaccinated, and another 3% were partially vaccinated.
About 4,000 agents and employees have not been vaccinated. About 15.5% of agents and employees requested a religious or medical exemption
Biden’s mandate requires all federal employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Nov. 22. Those who don’t get vaccinated face discipline and could be terminated, his administration has said.
Earlier this month, 44 Republican lawmakers called on Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to avoid enforcing the vaccine mandate to prevent a mass exodus of agents and other CBP employees.
“Our men and women in the Border Patrol have worked tirelessly to manage the crisis at our southern border,” the letter stated. “This year especially, they have been subject to extraordinary amounts of mental and physical stress. With morale at an all-time low, this mandate will serve as the last straw for agents who can easily leave the agency for other law enforcement organizations at the state and local level or retire.”
