AOC calls Nebraska governor racist for ruling illegal immigrants out of Covid vaccine rollout

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said Nebraska governor Pete Ricketts must be "so racist" to go out of his way to ensure people who prepare food go unvaccinated.

"Imagine being so racist that you go out of your way to ensure that the people who prepare *your* food are unvaccinated," Ms Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.

The Congresswoman made the allegation in response to a clip of the governor outlining the Phase 1B roll out of the state's Covid vaccination distribution program to meat processing facilities.

Mr Ricketts had been asked by a reporter on Monday if undocumented citizens or illegal immigrants would qualify for the vaccination program as part of the phased distribution at the food processing facilities.

"Again you're supposed to be a legal resident of the country to be able to be working in those plants so I do not expect that illegal immigrants will be part of the vaccine with that program," Mr Ricketts said.

"If you're working in the plants you're supposed to be here legally, so to get the vaccination you got to be working here legally to be able to be part of the food processing program so there's not going to be a conflict here," he added.

A spokesman for Mr Ricketts, Taylor Gage, said proof of citizenship is not required for vaccination in Nebraska and that the Governor was commenting directly in response to a question about meat processing facilities where illegal immigrants are prohibited from working.

"And therefore will not be receiving the vaccine in that context," Mr Gage said in a tweet.

"Furthermore, while the federal government is expected to eventually make enough vaccine available for everyone in the country, Nebraska is going to prioritize citizens and legal residents ahead of illegal immigrants."

The nonprofit Migration Policy Institute estimates 14 per cent of meatpacking workers in Nebraska either entered the country illegally or overstayed their visas.