Biden says fear of deportation among 'Latinx' population reason for slow vaccinations

President Biden says the reason the Latino population is lagging in COVID-19 vaccinations is because they fear of being deported.

"It’s awful hard, as well, to get Latinx vaccinated as well," the president said during a speech Thursday in North Carolina, using the new gender-neutral term Latinos. "Why? They’re worried that they’ll be vaccinated and deported."

While slightly over 50% of the population has been fully vaccinated against the virus, Biden is continuing efforts to reach hesitant groups, which he says is reasonable among Latinos and black Americans. The “month of action” campaign is a nationwide effort to reach the 70% vaccination goal by July 4. 

"Only 3 [percent] of Hispanics use the term ‘Latinx’ and 76 [percent] have never heard of it,” former George W. Bush speechwriter Marc Thiessen tweeted, citing an August 2020 Pew Research poll. "It’s a term woke White people have imposed on them against their will which is racist."

On the issue of black Americans, he was likely referring their continuing hesitancy to get vaccinated as a result of the Tuskegee syphilis study, from 1932 to roughly 1972, in which black men were unethically used in the government's health research. 

"There’s a reason why it’s been harder to get African-Americans, initially, to get vaccinated," Biden said. "Because they’re used to being experimented on – Tuskegee Airmen and others. People have memories. People have long memories."

The administration has acknowledged that they will not meet the 70% vaccination goal by Independence Day.