At least 14 undocumented immigrants were wrongly turned away from a COVID-19 vaccination site in Texas

• Texas does not require proof of citizenship to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
• But 14 undocumented immigrants were denied vaccines at one site, The Washington Post reported.
• The vaccination site has since apologized, saying they would reschedule appointments.

At least 14 undocumented immigrants were wrongly turned away from a COVID-19 vaccination site in Texas, in an apparent violation of state policy.

Proof of citizenship or residency is not required to get a COVID-19 vaccine in Texas, but 14 undocumented immigrants were turned away from receiving their shots at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, The Washington Post reported.

Jesús Díaz, a 61-year-old pre-diabetic, told The Post a staff member asked him for his Social Security number and told him vaccines were "exclusive for American citizens."

"I felt so much shame and anger at the same time," Díaz, who has lived in Texas since 1996, told the newspaper. "I felt discriminated against, but I didn't want to keep insisting."

UT Health Rio Valley, the clinical practice at the university, has apologized for denying eligible patients vaccine doses, admitting that staff did not follow state protocol.

The university said it's now working to reschedule individuals wrongly turned away from the clinic.

"We know you expect better from us, and we are deeply sorry for failing to uphold our standard of excellence at a time when our community needs us most," John H. Krouse, the dean of the university's school of medicine, said in statement on Thursday.

The Department of Homeland Security said on February 1 it supported "equal access" to the COVID-19 vaccine for undocumented immigrants, and has said US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and US Customs and Border Protection would not conduct enforcement operations at vaccination sites.

"It is a moral and public health imperative to ensure that all individuals residing in the United States have access to the vaccine. DHS encourages all individuals, regardless of immigration status, to receive the COVID-19 vaccine once eligible under local distribution guidelines," the department said.

But some states have avoided fully following the DHS guidelines.

Among them is Florida, where officials put in place guidelines requiring people to have residency to get the vaccine. While the rule was implemented to prevent "vaccine tourism," immigration advocates raised concerns that it may block undocumented essential workers from getting the vaccine.

Meanwhile in Nebraska, Gov. Pete Ricketts initially said he did not expect undocumented immigrants to be vaccinated as part of the state's program, but a spokesperson later clarified, saying they would be among the last to be vaccinated.

The DHS is still urging states to carry out their vaccine rollouts "without discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, nationality, or other protected class, and in compliance with law and policy."

"DHS encourages all individuals, regardless of immigration status, to receive the COVID-19 vaccine once eligible under local distribution guidelines," the DHS said.