IL-Sen: “Anyone who bravely serves our country should have an opportunity to gain citizenship.”
Received this e-mail yesterday from U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth’s (D. IL) re-election campaign:
Put simply, our military is made stronger by our immigrant servicemembers. That’s why, for over 200 years, Congress has provided an expedited path to citizenship through service in our military.
But under the Trump administration, many of these policies were reversed. So now, some troops are fighting in combat zones only to be discharged without receiving citizenship upon returning home. Many have been deported and are now being forced to navigate what is essentially a foreign country.
This is unacceptable. The promises we made to our troops should be kept. So I wrote a letter to President Joe Biden encouraging him to take immediate steps to overhaul our citizenship process for Veterans and servicemembers. Steps like:
- Immediately prohibit the deportation of Veterans who served honorably
- Institute a visa program to help deported Veterans re-enter the country to complete naturalization
- Require the Homeland Security Department to note Veteran status on all immigration documentation
- Ensure that all noncitizens who enlist immediately receive conditional legal permanent resident status
I feel so fortunate to be able to use my position in Washington to try to make life just a little easier for our Veterans, no matter where they were born. Thank you for helping me do that.
All my best,
Tammy Duckworth
