Ban on HIV-Positive Nonimmigrants and Immigrants Lifted

Today President Bush acted to end the statutory ban on entry to the U.S. by people with HIV.  Until now, only HIV was singled out in the immigration law for exclusion.  In signing the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), Bush repealed the statutory ban on HIV-positive tourists and immigrants, and restored jurisdiction to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to determine whether HIV is a “communicable disease of public health significance.” This podcast interview about the lift of the HIV/AIDS immigration ban might be of interest to our readers.  It features a timely conversation with attorney Victoria Neilson, Legal Director of Immigration Equality. The conversation begins by focusing on recent developments to lift the immigration ban that bars HIV+ individuals from entering the U.S.

The President’s signing of the bill is a significant and hopeful first step in a two-step process to lift the ban.  The next step is to have HIV/AIDS removed from the Department of Health and Human Services list of “communicable diseases of public health significance.”

You can follow the developments at the Immigration Equality blog.

Thanks to Meredith Miller (Touro) for the tip!

KJ