Proposal to stop deportation of veterans
Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth, Democrat will introduced a set of bills last Thursday to address the deportation of immigrants who served in the U.S. military and to help ensure they are connected to mental health services with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Duckworth’s HOPE Act would allow nonviolent, deported immigrant veterans to temporarily return to the U.S. for treatment at a VA facility on a case-by-case basis. Like other veterans, immigrants who served can struggle with mental health, including post-traumatic stress disorder, but noncitizens can also face deportation if convicted of even minor criminal offenses, effectively cutting off access to needed treatment through the VA.