The Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday that it has reinstated 56 United States Coast Guard members who were dismissed during the Biden administration for failing to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

The move comes after President Donald Trump signed an executive order last year that allowed all military service members who were discharged for refusing the vaccine to be reinstated.

The Coast Guard members will now receive back pay effective from the date of their discharge and their service records will be changed to reflect a period of continuous active service between the date of their discharge and their reinstatement.

“56 members of the United States Coast Guard who were kicked out of the service over the COVID-19 vaccine have finally been reinstated with back pay," DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement. "This is a victory for religious, personal, and medical freedom for all Americans both in and out of uniform. 

"The last administration’s vaccine mandates were unconstitutional, un-American, and a gross violation of personal freedom," she continued. "It was no way to treat the men and women who put everything on the line to keep our country safe. President Trump is righting these wrongs and returning those unjustly removed members to service. 

"This decision to reinstate these members of the Coast Guard is a major step in the right direction," she added.