Biden admin extends COVID vaccination mandate for non-citizens to enter U.S.

The Department of Homeland Security has extend the requirement that non-citizens seeking entry to the United States be vaccinated for COVID-19.

The agency did not specify the length of the extension in its announcement Tuesday. 

Under the current Title 19 requirements, non-U.S. travelers coming through land ports of entry or ferry terminals must state their vaccination status, provide documented proof of it upon request, provide a valid passport or other approved travel document; and present any other documentation as officials may require.

"These requirements will continue to apply to non-U.S. travelers who are traveling both for essential and non-essential reasons, and do not apply to U.S. citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents, or U.S. nationals," the press release stated.

DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said, "The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to protecting public health while facilitating lawful trade and travel, which is essential to our economic security."

The announcement comes as the administration fights a legal battle to reinstate the COVID-19 mask travel mandate for transportation, which would restore mandatory masking to U.S. airlines.

Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle ruled Monday that the Biden administration's mask mandate was unconstitutional, prompting major airlines to swiftly abandon the rule. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention meanwhile, has encouraged the Justice Department to appeal the ruling by the federal judge in Florida.

"CDC believes this is a lawful order, well within CDC's legal authority to protect public health," the CDC said in a press release.