Biden under fire after suggesting Latinx people aren’t being vaccinated because of deportation fears

Republicans lead outrage over Democrat’s use of ‘Latinx’, and of stereotyping Latinos

Joe Biden is facing criticism for suggesting that Latinx people are not getting vaccinated because of a fear of deportation.

The president, who was touring North Carolina on Thursday, said it was “hard to get Latinx vaccinated” because they feared deportation.

“They’re worried that they will be vaccinated and deported,” said Mr Biden of the Latino American community, as he addressed the issue of a slowing vaccination rate for the whole of the US.

It followed Mr Biden saying there were a number of reasons why members of the Black and Latino communities were not getting vaccinated for Covid, “initially”.

“The reason why it’s been harder to get African Americans, initially, to get vaccinated is because they are used to being experimented on,” said Mr Biden, referring to historical experiments carried-out by federal officials on people of colour.

It includes the Tuskegee Airmen of WWII, who were injected with syphilis, and “others”, Mr Biden said.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), both Black and Latino Americans have received vaccines at rates lower than white Americans.

On 21 June, white Americans accounted for two-thirds of all US vaccinations, while Black Americans accounted for 9 per cent, and Latino Americans, 15 per cent.

As reported by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) on Thursday, rates of vaccinations for Latino Americans are increasing across all states, after a slow start initially. Black Americans are also receiving vaccinations at larger rates than before.

Republicans, including firebrand congresswoman Lauren Boebert, were among many on the right who accused Mr Biden of “racism” for referring to Latino deportations.

“Apparently the only reason Latinos don’t want to get vaccinated is because they fear getting deported,” tweeted Ms Boebert on Friday. “So according to Joe all Latinos are illegals?”

Jenny Garcia Sharon, a Republican candidate in Texas, added: “Since when are all Latinos/Latinas illegal that if they get vaccinated they’ll be deported?”

Many also attacked Mr Biden for referring to “Latinx”, an alternative to to the binary Latino or Latina, for being “woke”.

“Latinx” is not widely used by members of the Latino American community, and largely among those aged between 19 and 29, according to figures from the Pew Research Centre.

Both Black and Latino Americans, who were more likely to be infected or hospitalised from Covid last year, also face issues of access to vaccination locations, and to doses.