Jorge Antonio Rocha
January 13, 2021•Update: January 13, 2021
MEXICO CITY
Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said Wednesday that the US is responsible for vaccinating Mexican migrants working north of the border.
He cited Article 23.8 of an agreement between the US, Mexico, and Canada, or the USMCA, that establishes protection for migrant workers in a foreign land and a worker’s health cannot be compromised.
That means that while the vaccine does not constitute a labor right, diminishing the risk for infection is established in the agreement, said Ebrard.
“It is the responsibility of both countries to guarantee that all workers, regardless of their migratory status, receive the vaccine,” he said. "Subsequently, we consider that any exclusion of any Mexican worker is a violation of the USMCA, and therefore, we will be implementing the necessary legal provisions which we also agreed on."
Ebrard urged the incoming US administration of Joe Biden to take comply with the precept.
“We will be vigilant because it is an obligation of the US government which is agreed in an international treaty,” he said.
Brigades across the country began implementing the coronavirus vaccine to medical personnel.
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said the massive vaccination plan consists of more than 10,000 brigades -- an effort composed of 120,000 people -- integrated with medical workers and members of the military.
The current round of vaccinations will see Mexico receive 440,000 vaccines produced by Pfizer-BionTech, with 828 hospitals in possession of vials Wednesday.
Mexico has vaccinated 92,879 citizens, according to Deputy Health Minister Hugo Lopez Gatell.
