Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 13 July 2021

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence

Emigrant Support Services: Discussion

Mr. Ronnie Millar:

The situation in Massachusetts mirrors what Mr. Collins described in the context of Illinois. The first roll-out was through mass large vaccination centres. The undocumented did not feel comfortable going to those centres because there were police officers there and there was talk of ICE officers stamping the vaccine centres, so the Governor of Massachusetts responded to that and the vaccine centres then went to the local community centres. Our centre helped to co-ordinate local vaccine centres where undocumented immigrants could get access to the vaccine without identification or insurance, as Mr. Collins described happening in Illinois. As he pointed out, it is now very easy for anyone who wishes to be vaccinated to get the vaccine. Pop-up clinics are widespread and Massachusetts has a very high rate of vaccination.

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