Deporting veterans is nothing to boast about

Since President Trump set in motion his plans to tackle illegal immigration, more than 37,000 people have been deported and returned to their countries of origin — the majority to Latin America.

What has been lost in Trump’s triumphant proclamations of success, and I believe deliberately so, is the fact that these deportees include veterans of the U.S. Armed Services.

As a disabled Air Force veteran who is married to a veteran and the mother of a veteran, who comes from a military family, I have served alongside some of these courageous individuals whose only supposed “crime” is that they are foreign nationals.

They put their lives on the line in defense of our country, freedoms and cherished ideals. So, as someone who works to support the health and wellness of women veterans, military personnel and their families, I am deeply troubled by the ongoing deportation of these men and women who have honorably served our nation. This issue not only dishonors their service but also inflicts profound harm on their families and communities.

Serving this country should be a path to belonging, not a roadblock to citizenship. According to fwd.us, it is estimated there are about 45,000 foreign-born individuals actively serving. About 5,000 join the military each year. Yet, for thousands of immigrant servicemembers, even after swearing an oath to defend this nation, naturalization remains an uphill battle.

Under the first Trump administration, the very system meant to honor their service betrayed them instead. In fact, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services denied military naturalization applications at a higher rate than civilian ones. In just the third quarter of FY 2019, one in five military applications was rejected — twice the civilian rejection rate.

This is not just a bureaucratic failure but also a moral disgrace. A country that sends immigrants to fight its wars but refuses them the right to stay is a country failing to uphold its own values.

How can we claim to honor service members on Veterans Day and Memorial Day, drape flags over their coffins and speak of duty and sacrifice when we discard them like they are disposable? These men and women served with valor, but our immigration system has treated them with cruelty.

Since the passage of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, the United States has deported at least 94,000 non-citizen military veterans. These individuals, many of whom came to the U.S. as children and later enlisted to defend their adopted homeland, now find themselves exiled from the very country they consider home.

Trump’s intensified immigration enforcement in the first few weeks of his second term has exacerbated this crisis. Recent reports indicate that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement crackdown has ensnared veterans, including a recent case in Newark, N.J. where a veteran was detained during an ICE raid.

The impact of these deportations extends beyond the individuals directly affected. Many deported veterans are non-white, and their forced removal disproportionately affects communities of color.

These veterans often return home from their deployments to communities already burdened by environmental challenges such as air, water, and chemical pollution, and systemic issues like over-policing. The absence of these veterans, who serve as role models and community leaders, further destabilizes these neighborhoods, exacerbating social and economic disparities.

Moreover, the mental health toll on deported veterans is profound. Stripped of their support networks and denied access to Veterans Affairs benefits, many struggle with feelings of betrayal, isolation and despair, not to mention post-traumatic stress-related health issues such as depression, anxiety, stress, and suicide ideation.

The reopening of Guantanamo Bay to house detainees under the current administration raises additional concerns about the treatment of individuals in U.S. custody and the potential for further human rights violations.

Deporting those who once stood on the frontlines for this nation is a betrayal of everything we claim to stand for. These veterans raised their hands and swore to defend this country, willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. They fought in our wars, stood shoulder to shoulder with fellow service members and endured hardships most Americans will never know.

And yet, when their service ended, rather than being embraced by the nation they risked everything for, they were cast out — exiled to unfamiliar lands, separated from their families and communities, and the benefits they earned.

We must act now. We must demand that the deportation of veterans ends immediately and that those who have been forced into exile be allowed to return to their homes here in the United States.

We must also press our leaders to restore their benefits, their legal status, and their dignity. This is not a partisan issue; this is a human rights issue, a matter of justice long overdue.

To every lawmaker, every voter, every American who claims to support our troops: This is your moment to prove it. Refuse to let this injustice continue. These veterans defended us. Now, we must defend them.

Vedia Barnett is the founder and executive director of The Vet Space and a volunteer for Moms Clean Air Force.

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