Riley Gaines Says Husband Can’t Get Green Card Because of COVID Vaccine

Conservative activist Riley Gaines said her husband cannot get a green card because he has declined to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Gaines, a former college swimmer for the University of Kentucky, has become a prominent conservative activist after speaking out about the inclusion of transgender women in women’s sports. She frequently weighs in on political discussions, attended the Republican National Convention over the summer and has rallied for President-elect Donald Trump.
On Monday, Gaines took to X, formerly Twitter, to share that her husband, who is from the United Kingdom, has been allegedly unable to get his green card due to his vaccination status.
“My husband moved to America from England for college 6 years ago. We got married over 2.5 years ago. He STILL doesn’t have a green card because he won’t get the vaccine. They don’t force illegal immigrants to get the jab, just the legal ones,” Gaines wrote.
U.S. immigration law requires those seeking a green card to meet certain vaccination requirements. Migrants who are in the country unlawfully are not bound by those same rules until they apply for a visa or citizenship.
According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), a noncitizen who applies for a visa abroad or “seeks to adjust status to that of a lawful permanent resident while in the United States” is required to get some vaccines, including COVID-19.
They are also required to take vaccines for mumps, measles, rubella, polio, tetanus and diphtheria toxoids, pertussis, Haemophilus influenza type B, hepatitis B, COVID-19, and any “other vaccine-preventable diseases recommended by the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices.”
“If you refuse to receive the vaccines required for immigration purposes, as mandated by the immigration laws of the United States, your application for legal permanent resident status may be denied,” USCIS’s website reads.
Newsweek reached out to Gaines and the USCIS for comment via email.
In January 2022, the Department of Homeland Security announced that any non-citizens attempting to enter the United States would be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. That requirement ended in May 2023.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S.-bound refugees “are not required to receive vaccinations before arrival in the United States,” but most receive some vaccinations through the Vaccination Program for U.S.-Bound Refugees.
USCIS also notes that waivers may be available to individuals who are “opposed to all vaccinations in any form” but not just a specific vaccine and if their objection is based on sincere religious beliefs or moral convictions.