The United States of America's government has failed to implement a unilateral process across all individual components of the Defense Department for noncitizen military personnel to naturalize and attain full citizenship status.  As a result, those not born within the United States and its territories are subject to inequitable treatment under the law regardless of character of service, with outcomes that could and have led to deportation and the fracturing of families and communities.  This also has affected the ability for continued progression/promotion in the military community by capping the level of rank that can be obtained without citizenship. 

This failure to adequately address this issue demonstrates a prejudicial set of protocols that targets and discriminates against brave men and women that are among the one percent of the U. S. population that raise their hands; spoke the oath of allegiance to the United States of America; and sacrificed mind and body to serve for the ideals of the United States of America and its populace. 

Discrimination based upon race, creed, color or religion has no productive place in our American society.  It is even less productive in military environment.  Former President Harry S. Truman desegregated the U.S. military in 1948.  Former President William Jefferson Clinton, effectively re-segregated our United States military with the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigration Responsibility Act of 1996.  If we don't correct this Act, individuals servicemen and women, their families and our communities will continue to bear the loss of credible citizens.  The emotional, mental and physical health components of all of our lives will continue to be negatively impacted leading to loss of productive process to our societal structure.

In November of 2021, an estimate as high as 94,000 personnel had been affected by this discriminatory policy. Despite encouraging words and promises from President Joe Biden and Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the tide hasn't turned.  The implementation of IMMVI (Immigrant Military Member and Veteran Initiative) has done little to correct this measure for those that have already been deported.  This initiative is not guaranteed to get better or to remain in practice.  We have to provide our voices to influence legislation like the Veterans Service Recognition Act proposed by Senator Alex Padilla and Representative Mark Takano to pass in to law to begin to correct this terrible wrong.  We have to let the President and Congress know that the value of those that choose to serve in the United States military is to be respected and preserved, regardless of place of birth; color of skin or chosen faiths.

We request that the President of the United States, Congress, Homeland Security and the Department of Defense repatriate all Deported Veterans to nothing less than Legal Permanent Resident status, and provide a unilateral and expedited process towards citizenship.

Your signature to this petition will send a message to our leadership that we hold dear and treasure those that are willing to give the ultimate sacrifice so that we as a populace can live truly in the land of the free, and continue to be the home of the brave.