Press Release
Posted:
Washington, D.C. – Today, Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04) announced the introduction of the Support and Defend Our Military Personnel and Their Families Act which provides immigration-related benefits and protections for certain Armed Forces veterans.
“As a veteran myself, I know the responsibility we have as a country to live up to the promises made to our men and women in uniform. That includes delivering a clear pathway to citizenship for our immigrant veterans,” said Thompson. “Tens of thousands of servicemembers currently enlisted in our Armed Services are non-citizens, and I’m proud to introduce the Support and Defend our Military Personnel and Their Families Act to help ensure that they are honored for their sacrifice and work, regardless of where they were born.”
"The Support and Defend Our Military Personnel and Their Families Act restores common sense and basic decency by protecting military families, speeding reunification, and recognizing the service and sacrifice of those who defend our nation. No one who raises their right hand to serve this country should have to fear that their own family could be torn apart by an administration bent on imposing a cruel, partisan agenda. In fact, putting servicemembers through that kind of mental torture needlessly hurts military readiness. We applaud Congressman Thompson's leadership and urge Members to join him in passing this important legislation without delay,” said Mary Kaszynski, Director of Government Relations, VoteVets.
BACKGROUND
According to the Congressional Research Service, approximately 35,000 non-citizens are on active duty in our Armed Forces. In addition, many serving U.S. citizens have family members who are not U.S. citizens. Non-citizen servicemembers and those with non-citizen family members often face daunting and complex immigration law and procedure and long waits to naturalize.
The Support and Defend Our Military Personnel and their Families Act addresses the immigration concerns of America’s military personnel, our veterans, and their family members back home in the following ways:
- Allows non-citizen veterans who served during wartime periods to access naturalization procedures.
- Exempts spouses and children of non-citizens serving in the Armed Forces from family-based immigration visa caps.
- Allows the parent, spouse, child, or minor sibling of an active duty servicemember or honorably discharged veteran to petition for legal permanent residence if an immigrant visa is immediately available. Also waives certain criteria for inadmissibility and allows these family members to apply up to two years after the sponsoring veteran dies as a result of a service-connected injury or disease.
- Requires the Department of Homeland Security to take into consideration a non-citizen veteran's military service when facing removal proceedings.
Read the full text of the bill here.