Is there any excuse for
deporting a veteran of the U.S. military? If anything, this should be a
bipartisan issue. But as testimony to the fecklessness of Congress, these
deportations are still going on.
Many are under the
impression that service in the U.S. military results in the automatic conferral
of citizenship. That’s certainly the way it should be. It would be basic human
decency, after all. But, alas, it is not so.
Even those who honorably
serve in the military must still satisfy certain bureaucratic requirements. [1]
[2]
One still has to apply, for example, and the applicant will only be excused “from
any specific period of residence or physical presence within the United States,
so long as the application is filed while the applicant is still serving in the
military or within six months of an honorable discharge.” [3]
If you blow the deadline, tough luck.
As a result, in “a
country where we celebrate and honor those who heeded the call to serve in the
military, most Americans would be shocked to learn that just south of the
U.S.-Mexico border in Tijuana, Mexico, exists the Deported Veterans Support
House, better known as ‘The Bunker.’ Marked by a banner in red, white, and
blue, and located next to a tire shop in a residential neighborhood, the bunker
is a shelter for veterans of the United States Armed Forces who were deported
from the same country they fought to protect, even after being honorably
discharged.
“Once inside, you might
be greeted by veterans who are miles away from their homes and their families
and denied access to the benefits they earned, need, and are still eligible for
under the law. In the face of this injustice, however, they are still proud of
their service to our nation and are fighting to return home. It’s time for
Congress to join this fight and bring them back to the families and nation they
risked their lives to protect.” [4]
In response to this
travesty, Representatives Mark Takano, Juan Vargas, and Raúl M. Grijalva have
introduced H.R. 4890 [5],
“the Veteran Deportation Prevention and Reform Act of 2019 to prevent
noncitizen veterans from being deported, improve tracking of noncitizen
veterans in immigration proceedings, and bring certain eligible deported
veterans back home.” [6]
The proposed legislation
“ · Requires DHS to
maintain data on potentially removable noncitizen veterans. The DHS Secretary
would be directed to establish an annual training program for ICE personnel on
handling noncitizen veterans.
“ · Directs DHS to
establish a Military Family Immigration Advisory Committee that would provide
recommendations on whether an individual should be granted a stay of removal,
deferred action, parole, or be removed from the country.
“ · Provides a pathway of
citizenship for spouses and children of members of the Armed Services through a
joint program between DOD and DHS.
“ · Requires DHS to
establish a program and application procedure that allows eligible veterans to
be admitted as noncitizens lawfully admitted for permanent residence. Also
directs the Attorney General to reopen any removal proceedings of each
noncitizen veteran issued and where appropriate, rescind any orders of removal
already issued.”
This legislation seems
like a common-sense reform, but your humble servant would go further.
For the U.S. military to
accept the services of someone who would not be eligible for citizenship down
the road is exploitation. Therefore, the screening should be front-loaded, and
should take place at the time the alien applies to serve in the military. After
that, citizenship should be conferred automatically, without the need for
further application, after one year of service. The granting of citizenship under
these terms should apply to everyone in the applicant’s immediate family. If
the Department of Homeland Security should thereafter discover anything in the applicant’s
history that should be disqualifying, then the Department should file a petition
revoking the arrangement within the first year of service.
It really is the least we
can do.