Congressman Gonzalez Calls on Defense Secretary to Protect DREAMers in the Military and Bring Deported Veterans Home

WASHINGTON—Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15) sent a letter urging U.S. Secretary of Defense, James Mattis, to support a pathway to citizenship for deported veterans. This comes in response to the Defense Secretary's recent statement that Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients currently enlisted in the U.S. armed forces would not be in danger of deportation.

"I strongly urge Secretary Mattis to honor his word," Congressman Gonzalez said. "Foreign-born service members are American heroes who deserve to live and work in the country they proudly served. It is time for the Department of Defense to take action and protect those who have protected us."

Last year, Congressman Gonzalez introduced H.R. 3429, the Repatriate Our Patriots Act, a critical piece of bipartisan legislation that would bring home deported veterans and expedite their citizenship process while also granting access to the healthcare and G.I. bill benefits they rightfully earned.

Read the full letter below:

February 27, 2018

The Honorable James Mattis

Secretary of Defense

U.S. Department of Defense

1400 Defense Blvd., The Pentagon

Washington, D.C. 20301

Dear Secretary Mattis:

Recently, you spoke to the media after a White House press briefing saying, "we would always stand by one of our people." In this statement, you were referencing the deportation status of hundreds of enlisted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients and foreign-born veterans who were honorably discharged without receiving their deserved citizenship status. I am writing today to inform you that this statement is incorrect. We have not always stood by our people, and instead deported combat veterans who were entitled to citizenship.

The United States' population of veterans currently exceeds 21 million. In addition, I represent nearly 40,000 veterans—individuals who represent the best of our society. They own small businesses, volunteer with community organizations, vote in local elections, and help those in need—one example being their assistance with Hurricane Harvey relief in my home state of Texas. Many of them are highly decorated, having deployed in every major U.S. campaign dating back to World War II. And finally, a substantial number of them suffer from disabilities associated with their time in combat. Yet, the Department of Homeland Security has already deported thousands of honorably discharged veterans after they bravely served in our nation's ranks. This is a disgrace.

Last year, I introduced H.R. 3429, The Repatriate Our Patriots Act. This legislation, introduced in a bipartisan manner with my colleagues, Congressmen Don Young (R-AK) and Beto O'Rourke (D-TX), would enable honorably discharged veterans who have been deported for minor crimes to return to the United States as legal permanent residents. In addition, these veterans would be allowed to go through an expedited naturalization process—the same process they were promised, but not given, after joining our military. Lastly, the bill would direct the Department of Homeland Security to create a program that identifies and maintains the records of immigration cases involving qualified veterans. This bill excludes those convicted of heinous felonies such as voluntary manslaughter, murder, rape, sexual abuse of a minor, and/or acts of terrorism.

This legislation has two overarching purposes: to protect our honorably-serving, foreign-born veterans from deportation, and to correct the wrongdoings of our government by bringing those who have already been deported home. I hope to pass this legislation in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, and ultimately have President Donald J. Trump sign it into law. In your capacity as Secretary of Defense, you can institute fundamental change in the DoD by approaching the administration with unique and innovative strategies. In addition, as an entrusted member of President Trump's cabinet, you can present these strategies directly before him—an opportunity that allows expeditious handling of deported veterans affairs. I call on you to present a DoD strategy to President Trump that establishes a clear protocol for naturalization of current foreign-born, active duty servicemembers. In addition, I ask that you direct the President's attention towards the opportunity for executive order, to bring currently deported veterans back home to the United States and expedite their citizenship.

Recently, I hosted a roundtable with leaders from major veteran service organizations, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and my colleague, Vice Ranking Member of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, Congressman Mark Takano (D-CA). One such organization in attendance, AMVETS, publicly supports H.R. 3429 and in a letter written to my office, called the deportation of honorably discharged veterans a "stain on our country's pride." I have attached that letter with my own and I expect other veteran service organizations will follow suit.

I call on you to join my efforts to repatriate our patriots and prevent this from happening in the future. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact staff members in my Washington D.C. office, Mark Footerman at mark.footerman@mail.house.gov or Fred Castro at fred.castro@mail.house.gov. My office can be reached by phone at (202) 225-2531.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to working with you to pass H.R. 3429, The Repatriate Our Patriots Act, and bring our unjustly deported veterans home.

Sincerely,

Vicente Gonzalez

Member of Congress