Undocumented American immigrants are drawn to the armed forces for the same reasons native-born Americans are. These include a steady job, the military lifestyle and patriotism. Many undocumented immigrants who join the U.S. military erroneously assume that citizenship goes along with enlisting. Policy changes by the Department of Homeland Security have made it much easier and faster for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE) to deport undocumented people, including military Veterans. Our government has already deported 12,000 military veterans. ICE agents are supposed to take into account military service before making a decision to deport a veteran. ICE is also supposed inform the vet that he has the right to apply for citizenship even while being processed for deportation.

Under a 1990s law, a legal resident, including U.S. military Veterans, can have their legal residency revoked and be deported if convicted of a crime, including crimes that occurred years earlier and for which the offender has served his sentence. Veterans facing deportation are still entitled to various educational and medical benefits but advocates say most don’t get the chance to use them because immigration officials are very aggressive in their efforts to deport undocumented people, regardless of whether they are veterans or not.

Pending Legislation: H.R.717 - Repatriate Our Patriots Act
Sponsor: Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (TX)
Status: House Committee on the Judiciary
Chairperson: Rep. Jim Jordan (OH)