Urge Your Representative to Act Now to Eliminate U.S. HIV Travel Restrictions

During the reauthorization of PEPFAR, Congress voted to eliminate the federal law that banned travel and immigration for non-U.S. citizens living with HIV and AIDS who wish to enter the United States.  Yet, the Administration must still remove HIV from the list of "communicable diseases of public health significance" so that HIV-positive people may enter the U.S.

Congresswoman Barbara Lee and Congressmen Henry Waxman and Howard Berman are circulating a Dear Colleague letter to other members of Congress to urge the White House to swiftly reassess the HIV travel ban.

Please ask your Representative to endorse the letter urging the Administration to completely eliminate HIV-related travel restrictions and restore human rights and dignity for people living with HIV and AIDS.

Sample Letter for Campaign

Subject: Eliminate U.S. HIV Travel Restrictions

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

I am writing to urge you to sign a Dear Colleague letter circulated by Reps. Lee, Waxman and Berman asking the Administration to swiftly reassess the HIV-related travel ban. Removing all restrictions on HIV-related travel and immigration to the United States is critical in ensuring the human rights and dignity of non-U.S. citizens living with HIV and AIDS who wish to enter the country.

As you know, the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008 (H.R. 5501) was recently signed into law by President Bush, thus reauthorizing the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) for another five years. As part of reauthorization, Congress voted to remove the statutory ban on travel and immigration for people living with HIV and AIDS who wish to enter the United States.

However, HIV is still on the list of diseases that automatically precludes a person from entering the United States. Removing this final obstacle requires action on behalf of the Administration.

Please consider adding your name to the HIV-travel ban Dear Colleague letter. For more information or to co-sign the letter, please contact Christos Tsentas with Rep. Lee at Christos.tsentas@mail.house.gov; or Naomi Seiler with Chairman Waxman at Naomi.seiler@mail.house.gov.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
September 02, 2008


Background Information

Since 1991, the United States has prohibited HIV positive travelers from entering or crossing its borders without obtaining a special waiver, which is then stamped on the traveler's passport as a permanent record of his or her HIV status.

HIV related travel restrictions remain a serious violation of the human rights of people living with HIV, including the right to confidentiality, privacy and freedom of movement. Not only is this policy an international embarrassment, it perpetuates on-going stigma and misunderstanding of the disease. The HIV travel ban is the sole reason that no international AIDS conferences have been held on US soil for the last 16 years.

The World Health Organization, UNAIDS, and the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights all oppose the use of HIV and AIDS-related travel restrictions. These agencies say HIV and AIDS do not pose a threat to public health because, although it is infectious, HIV cannot be transmitted through casual contact (through the air, or from common vehicles such as food or water).