Citizenship Question Cut From Coronavirus Testing Questionnaire

WAUKEGAN, IL — People being tested for the coronavirus at a Waukegan community-based coronavirus testing site operated by the state of Illinois are no longer being asked about their citizenship status, according to state and federal officials.

Multiple people contacted the office of Rep. Brad Schneider, the Deerfield Democrat who represents the 10th Congressional District, soon after the testing site begun operating earlier this month to report that patients at the new testing were being asked whether they were U.S. citizens.

"No one should have been asked about their immigration status before getting a test," Schneider said. "Doing so was immoral and put the health of the entire community at risk by deterring targeted individuals from getting tested."

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The citizenship question was included on the original questionnaire provided by the Illinois Department of Public Health, or IDPH, to community-based testing sites. According to a IDPH spokesperson, the question was included due to federal requirements for reimbursements under recent COVID-19 economic relief legislation.

State officials said the citizenship question was mandated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, because some testing supplies were provided by the federal government, according to the congressman's staff.

But FEMA officials denied there it was ever the agency's policy to ask about citizenship or residency status at testing sites.

"Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, FEMA's role has been exclusively in support for testing sites, principally by provision of supplies," a spokesperson for the agency said in a statement. "There is no requirement from FEMA that citizenship or residency status be asked at any testing site, including for reimbursement purposes through FEMA’s Public Assistance Program."

Illinois does not consider whether a person is a citizen when providing testing, and no one was turned away from testing as a result of their answer to the question. COVID-19 testing and treatment is available to all Illinois residents, regardless of immigration or insurance status, according to the Lake County Health Department.

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The Waukegan community-based testing site opened May 3 at the shuttered vehicle emissions testing station at 2161 Northwestern Ave. It is open daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. or until 750 samples are collected.

Tests are available to essential workers, first responders, health care workers, government employees, workers at correctional facilities, as well as anyone with symptoms, anyone exposed to a known COVID-19 case or those with compromised immune systems or chronic medical conditions. The removal of the citizenship question was first reported by the Lake County News-Sun.

"Congress was clear in the CARES Act: testing is for everyone, and testing is free — irrespective of employment, insurance coverage, or immigration status," Schneider said in a statement. "In this pandemic it is critical that everyone has access to testing and everyone feels safe getting tested."