Riley Gaines, a former NCAA swimmer and activist for female athletes, celebrating President Donald Trump’s downing of the attack Covid-19 vaccine mandate for legal immigrants.
“My family has been stonewalled by the Biden administration for three years now,” Gaines said Fox News digital.
‘Three years of being blackmailed: my husband’s health for a chance at a green card. Forty-eight hours into Trump’s administration, he has removed the unjust barriers that kept families like mine in the dark,” she continued. He’s cracking down on illegal immigration while making legal immigration more streamlined and attainable for skilled, hardworking, taxpaying people who love America like my husband does. Promises made, promises kept.”
Gaines also said her family spent about $15,000 on fees, applications and lawyers and had to restart the process several times.

Riley Gaines attends the DailyWire+ Red Carpet Premiere of “Lady Ballers” on November 29, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Jason Davis/Getty Images for Bentkey Ventures)
“No one in any federal agency under President Biden could point us in the right direction,” Gaines added. “It took one viral tweet to get on the right ears of the Trump administration before they solved this overnight.”
She also praised the policy change on X.
“Huge news,” Gaines wrote. “Following the tweet below, USCIS has rescinded their Covid vax mandate for legal immigrants. I can’t even tell you the thousands of people in the same situation who have reached out over the years. Promises made, promises kept. Thank you, @realDonaldTrump.”
US Citizenship and Immigration Services said in a statement announcement Effective Wednesday, the country will no longer require the COVID-19 vaccination for legal immigrants and will no longer deny citizenship to legal immigrants who do not provide documentation that they have received the COVID-19 vaccine.
On October 14, 2021, the Biden administration passed obliged that all citizenship applicants receive the COVID-19 vaccinations as a condition of citizenship.
In November, Gaines said that despite moving from England to America six years ago, her husband had not been able to get a green card because he did not want to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
‘Vaccine fatigue’ blamed as about half of people in US will skip COVID and flu vaccines this year

Riley Gaines speaks at Penn State University. (Riley Gaines)
“My husband moved to America from England six years ago for college,” Gaines said on X. “We got married over 2.5 years ago. He STILL doesn’t have a green card because he doesn’t get the vaccine. I don’t force illegal immigrants to get the shot, only legal ones.”
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