Immigrants Get RFK Jr. Blame for Polio, TB. Doctors Disagree.

May 4, 2026, 9:10 AM UTC

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is starting to echo President Donald Trump’s aggressive anti-immigration rhetoric in response to criticism of his vaccine policy.

Throughout his marathon of seven Congressional hearings last month, the Health and Human Services secretary justified his changes to key vaccine panels and blamed immigrants for the threat of infectious diseases—echoing Trump, who has used the threat of disease as a reason to stem immigration at the southern border and justify domestic crackdowns.

As midterms approach, Kennedy is tempering his anti-vaccine rhetoric, which the White House asked him to downplay.

When lawmakers pressured Kennedy on vaccination rates ...

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