[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 198 (Monday, November 15, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S8084]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. PADILLA (for himself, Mr. Durbin, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. 
        Markey, Mr. Booker, Mr. Blumenthal, Ms. Warren, and Mr. 
        Sanders):
  S. 3212. A bill to provide benefits for noncitizen members of the 
Armed Forces, and for other purposes; to the Committee on the 
Judiciary.
  Mr. PADILLA. Mr. President, I rise to introduce the Veteran 
Deportation Prevention and Reform Act.
  This legislation would ensure that noncitizen servicemembers have 
access to the information and resources they need to apply for 
citizenship in the United States and avoid deportation from the country 
they have served.
  The Veteran Deportation Prevention and Reform Act includes important 
changes to ensure that servicemembers are not removed from the United 
States after leaving the military because they were never provided the 
resources necessary to ensure they could adjust their status. The bill 
would also protect servicemembers' spouses and children from 
deportation.
  Specifically, this bill would require the Department of Homeland 
Security, DHS and the Department of Defense to create a program to help 
ensure that servicemembers and their families have a pathway to 
naturalization. The program must also include training for JAG officers 
and recruiter training on the naturalization process for 
servicemembers. These personnel must also work with the U.S. 
Citizenship and Immigration Services Agency to ensure that all 
noncitizen military servicemembers are naturalized before they leave 
the service.
  The bill would also create the Military Family Immigation Advisory 
Committe that must provide recommendations to DHS on whether a 
noncitizen who has served in the military or their family members 
should be granted a stay of removal, deferred action, parole, or be 
removed from the country.
  ICE, CBP, and USCIS are directed to transfer case materials of 
individuals in removal proceedings for individuals who are determined 
to be a member of the Armed Forces, a veteran, or a covered family 
member of the advisory committee. These individuals cannot be removed 
until a recommendation is issued by the advisory committee.
  Finally, the bill would require DHS to establish a program and 
application to allow removed veterans and their family members to be 
admitted back into the United States as lawful permanent residents and 
would direct the Department of Justice to reopen their removal cases.
  Our noncitizen servicemembers have risked their lives serving our 
country.
  For over a century, the United States has recognized the 
contributions that noncitizens make in the military. They deserve a 
clear path to citizenship for themselves and their spouses and 
children.
  Over the past several years, programs to help facilitate these 
processes have diminished, and this lack of support from Federal 
Agencies has made it more difficult for noncitizen servicemembers to 
become U.S. citizens. Veterans who are unable to naturalize are at risk 
of deportation if they commit certain crimes and are forced to leave 
the country they served. Many of these individuals believe that they 
are citizens already due to their service and are shocked they are not, 
years later.
  It is imperative that we work to protect our noncitizen veterans from 
deportation and that we bring back those veterans who were removed from 
the United States. These veterans have shown nothing but loyalty to the 
United States, and they deserve to stay here, receive their benefits, 
and live fulfilling lives alongside their family members.

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