Alex Padilla: “I rise to introduce the Veteran Deportation Prevention and Reform Act. This legislation would ensure that noncitizen…”

“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.…”