WASHINGTON, D.C. – Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) has renewed her push to protect and support these heroes who have proven they are willing to make tremendous sacrifices to defend our nation. Duckworth reintroduced a package of bills—the Veterans Visa and Protection Act, HOPE Act and I-VETS Act—that would prohibit the deportation of immigrants.
Veterans who are not violent offenders, provide these Veterans with a pathway to citizenship through their military service and help ensure those who have already been deported can access the VA healthcare services they are entitled to. The introduction follows the saddening news that Miguel Perez, a Chicagoan and U.S. combat Veteran who she said was shamefully deported by the first Trump Administration and whom Duckworth successfully helped return to the United States, passed away three weeks ago.
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“There is no higher betrayal to our heroes than to be deported by the same nation they sacrificed to defend—but this is what happens when our nation’s immigration policies are rooted more in hate than in logic. On this Veterans Day, I’m once again reintroducing a package of common-sense bills that would help make it easier for them to become citizens, live with their families and ensure those who have already been deported can return to U.S. soil to access the life-saving VA care they earned and deserve, but may currently be barred from accessing. These Veterans fought for this country, and it’s past time we fight for them too.”
