The flights from Mexico City, Monterrey, and Guadalajara to Texas cities such as San Antonio, Houston or Dallas, are full of Mexicans who are going to the United States to get vaccinated, even if they are not residents of that country, they are not over 65 years old. , or suffer from any disease that puts them at risk. That is, they are skipping the line and cheating they manage to get vaccinated in the neighboring country.
Some Mexicans who have managed to get vaccinated in the US told the press how they obtained the doses:
“My parents were able to get vaccinated in Florida when it was not yet necessary to present proof of residence. My brother and I managed to get vaccinated in San Antonio. They did not ask us for anything. You just have to go to the registration sites, fill out the form in which they ask your name, date of birth, and if you have any comorbidities, you have to say yes to get the vaccine if you are not over 65. When you arrive with your appointment, they vaccinate you and they don’t ask you anything else,” declared a Mexican national who had already received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine in the state of Texas.
Mexicans consulted by MILENIO assured that they will be vaccinated in the next few days. Many already have appointments along with hotel and flight reservations. Obviously, these people can afford the trip, it is not an impediment to have to spend on PCR or antigen tests so that they are allowed to travel and spend between 20 thousand and 30 thousand pesos in each of the two trips to receive both doses. Others prefer to wait until May when according to President Joe Biden any American of legal age can be vaccinated, so they consider that getting vaccinated in a country other than their own will no longer be cheating.
Since the beginning of 2021, Mexicans realized that they could go to the United States to get vaccinated. Initially, they only intended to be vaccinated if they were older than 65 or if they had a relative of that age, so as not to violate the current vaccination criteria in that country.
However, as many Mexicans tend to do, they took advantage of the situation when they realized that even if they did not meet the requirements, they could access the vaccine anyways.
There were those who arranged round trips for the first and second doses. Others more wealthy rented properties or moved to the states for a whole month to their apartments or houses in that country while receiving both doses. Others decided to visit relatives in the US, stay there for three or four weeks, and get vaccinated in the meanwhile.
The state of Florida became aware of the so-called “Vaccination Tourism”, and noticed that it was attracting Mexicans who were not residents, did not have risky conditions or were not over 65 years of age. Many Mexicans went to Miami, but many more traveled to Texas to get the vaccine.
In Texas, the current stage of vaccination is 1B, it includes only people over 65 years of age and adults who have a chronic degenerative disease that puts their life at risk of becoming seriously ill if they become infected with Covid-19.
Mexicans who are not more than 65 years old have filled out their application assuring that they have a disease, even if they do not have it. That is how they have skipped the vaccination line and had access to the vaccine without even being American citizens nor residents.
Some have figured out how to access canceled appointments. However, to register they must lie saying that they have a disease.
Those who preferred not to lie about their physical condition took their profession as a pretext. Like those who claimed to be part of social services for having studied psychology.
Some said that since they do not want to cheat, they have found places where they do not put conditions to access appointments. However, the rules are the same throughout the state of Texas, so not telling lies does not mean that by getting vaccinated you are not skipping the line.
Mexican people are openly offering money on Facebook groups to anyone who can manage to get them an appointment to be vaccinated, which is obviously illegal in that country.
