Democratic senators back bills to halt deportations of immigrant veterans, ease path to citizenship
A package of bills led by Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., seeks to strengthen protections for immigrant veterans who have been deported or are in deportation proceedings.
Source: STARS AND STRIPES
A package of bills led by Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., seeks to strengthen protections for immigrant veterans who have been deported or are in deportation proceedings. (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)
WASHINGTON — Democratic lawmakers on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee are backing a package of bills that would stop the deportation of immigrants who are veterans and make it easier for immigrants with military service to become U.S. citizens.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., an Army National Guard veteran and committee member, is leading the legislation, which would strengthen protections for veterans who have been deported or are in deportation proceedings. Veterans with convictions for violent crimes would be ineligible.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the committee, is a sponsor of the bill package, along with Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., and Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, both committee members.
“I fought in Iraq, and I know that on the battlefield, what matters isn’t whether you have the right papers, it’s whether you’re willing to put on the uniform and risk your life for this country. If you’re willing to do that, you deserve a clear, fair path to citizenship,” said Gallego, a Marine Corps veteran.
Gallego accused President Donald Trump’s administration of “targeting immigrant service members and veterans.”
The number of veterans who’ve been removed from the U.S. in immigration crackdowns is not known, because federal agencies do not routinely track the data, according to the Government Accountability Office.
The Veterans Visa and Protection Act, the HOPE Act and I-VETS Act are a package of bills that Duckworth reintroduced last week after the legislation failed to advance to a final vote in Congress in 2023.
Duckworth described the package as common-sense bills. “These veterans fought for this country, and it’s past time we fought for them, too,” she said.
Other Democratic sponsors of individual bills or the entire package include Sen. Ron Wyden, Oregon; Sen. Jacky Rosen, Nevada; Sen. Andy Kim, New Jersey; and Sen. John Fetterman, Pennsylvania.
The Veterans Visa and Protection Act would stop the deportation of immigrant veterans who are not violent offenders and create a visa program for processing veterans as lawful permanent residents after they are deported or if they are facing deportation proceedings. The bill also would “create a pathway” for deported immigrant veterans to become U.S. citizens, Duckworth said.
Immigrants who served honorably in the military are “entitled under the law to expedited naturalization, but it does not happen as often as it should,” according to the Immigrant Defenders Law Center.
The Healthcare Opportunities for Patriots in Exile Act, also known as the HOPE Act, would allow deported veterans to reenter the U.S. temporarily to receive health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The legislation aims to reduce barriers for deported veterans trying to access their VA health coverage outside the U.S.
“Once a veteran is deported, they are usually unable to access the full VA benefits they have earned and would receive if they were still living in the United States. Many have trouble accessing even basic medical care,” Duckworth said.
The Immigrant Veterans Eligibility Tracking System Act, or I-VETS Act, seeks to formally identify active-duty service members and veterans undergoing deportation proceedings.
“Noncitizens who serve in the U.S. military may be eligible for citizenship,” according to a 2019 report from the Government Accountability Office.
But U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement does not routinely identify or track an individual’s status as a veteran, the GAO found.
The bill would ensure that the military service is part of an individual’s immigration records. The Department of Homeland Security would be required to recognize military service when an individual applies for immigrant benefits or during immigration enforcement proceedings.
“These bills will make it easier for immigrant veterans to become citizens, prevent them from deportation and ensure they can access the VA health care they rightfully earned,” Gallego said.
By: Linda Hersey
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