A San Fernando Valley mother celebrated having been vaccinated against COVID-19 days after the undocumented woman was rejected from a Rite Aid in Mission Hills when she presented her foreign consular ID as identification.
Her son, Sebastian Araujo, took to social media and caught the attention of Eyewitness News and government leaders such as California’s 29th District Representative Tony Cardenas, who said legal status in the country is not required to be vaccinated.
“That’s not a requirement at all at the federal, state or local level and that organization has been told very clearly that that was wrong and they immediately apologized for doing so, but it left the woman very distraught,” said Rep. . Cardenas.
Sebastian’s mom isn’t alone.
Just days after the Eyewitness News report on the Mission Hills incident aired Monday, another undocumented woman, this time in South Orange County, was denied her COVID-19 vaccination twice Thursday at a Rite Aid in Laguna Niguel .
She did not want to go on camera, but offered childcare to the Rager family who were heartbroken by the humiliation she suffered. Their five-year-old babysitter was left in tears.
The family’s father, Kevin Rager, gave Eyewitness News an interview via Zoom.
San Fernando Valley family raises awareness after undocumented mother is denied COVID vaccine
“Things like this should never happen to a person no matter where they come from. I come from an immigrant family. I am married to an immigrant and things like that shouldn’t happen in our time, especially with existing guidelines. Now,” Rager said.
Rager gave his employee a letter confirming that she looks after his children, but that coupled with an out-of-state ID was not enough.
The pharmacist pushed for a Social Security / card, told the woman that the priority goes to US citizens, and later repeated this incorrect information to the Ragers over the phone.
Examining the guidelines, Rager was shocked to find online the Eyewitness News report of a similar incident at Rite Aid in Mission Hills just days earlier.
“I just want the government or the companies to send information to their employees and say that this kind of, you know, behavior just isn’t tolerated. These questions shouldn’t be asked of anyone and so our entire country needs to be vaccinated. why someone should be turned away if they really want to get a vaccine, ”Rager said.
In both cases, representatives of Rite Aid contacted affected parties to apologize.
Sebastian’s mother received her injection with a different Rite Aid from the one she was expelled from.
There were significant changes on the company’s website.
Where a driver’s license and social security card were once listed as acceptable government-issued forms of identification, there is now no mention of a social security card and a note has been added saying, “You will not be rejected if you do not have a photo. ID. or insurance. “
In emails and over the phone, a Rite Aid spokesperson admitted mistakes had been made and said the staff had been retrained after the Mission Hills incident, but why it happened again in Orange County was under investigation on Friday.
Rite Aid rescheduled a vaccination appointment for the family’s daycare later that same week.
Copyright © 2021 KABC-TV. All rights reserved.