Former NCAA swimmer and conservative activist Riley Gaines has spoken out about why her husband was unable to get a green card.
Gaines married British swimmer Louis Barker in 2022 after the couple met while swimming for the University of Kentucky in 2019.
But despite being married for two and a half years, Gaines, who has spoken out on a number of political issues in recent years, revealed her partner had still not been given a green card due to his refusal to be vaccinated against Covid. -19.
Gaines, who has spoken out against trans athletes competing in women’s sports, said on social media that immigration authorities had informed Barker that they needed proof of a completed vaccination record.
She explained that the vaccination missing from the mandatory list was for Covid-19.
‘Yes, you heard that right. In the year 2024, you must have the under-researched, ineffective Covid vaccine to legally enter this country,” Gaines said in a video shared on social media.
Riley Gaines opened up about husband Louis Barker, a British citizen,’s troubles with the green card
“Notice I said legally because our government does not require illegal immigrants to have the Covid vaccine.
‘Really think about that. Think about how difficult our government has made it for people who legally migrate to this country, compared to those who break the law. Because if you just cross the southern border, you get housing, a driver’s license, money.
‘[…] Still, it’s a decision my husband would make ten days out of ten. What good is a green card if health is compromised. When this madness inevitably ends, as it will, my husband will become a citizen and have a functioning immune system. It’s a win-win situation.’
Gaines’ ire earned her the support of Elon Musk, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for co-leader of the Department of Government Efficiency, who reposted her video on his social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
‘Legal immigration to America is ridiculously slow and difficult, even for super-talented people. Needs fixing,” Musk wrote alongside the clip.
Earlier this year, Gaines supported the Tesla founder’s call for faster legal immigration options.
The tech billionaire said his frequent complaints about the migrant crisis led to him being accused of being “anti-immigrant.”
However, he explained that as an immigrant himself – born in South Africa and moving to the US for university – “nothing could be further from the truth.”
Elon Musk, pictured with Donald Trump, expressed his support for the former NCAA swimmer
“I strongly support increased and accelerated legal immigration for anyone who is talented, hardworking and honest,” he wrote on Twitter.
‘It’s crazy difficult and painfully slow to immigrate to the US legally, but trivial and fast to enter illegally! This obviously makes no sense.’
Musk moved to Canada at the age of 18 and was granted citizenship through his mother, and a few years later he attended the University of Pennsylvania and then came to Silicon Valley.
Gaines reposted Musk’s tweet with enthusiastic approval, once again regaling her followers with her husband’s fate.