Banished: Deported veterans struggle to survive in Mexico border towns

Honorable military service usually does confer citizenship, the problem is that it can be a very expensive and difficult fight, especially once one wakes up on the other side of the border.

These people were deported for a reason. All of them.

No Man Left Behind

I WILL NEVER LEAVE A FALLEN
COMRADE

1.) DHS, VA Launch New Online Services for Noncitizen Service Members, Veterans, and Their Families

“Veterans qualify for VA benefits based on their service to our country and never on their immigration status,” said Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough. “We are proud to work with our partners at DHS and DoD to honor the service of immigrant and noncitizen Veterans by ensuring that they have access to information about the care and services available to them.”

The new one-stop resource center will consolidate resources and forms from DHS, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Department of Defense (DoD), and other agencies so noncitizen service members, veterans, and their families are able to easily find any needed forms and resources.

SOURCE : https://www.dhs.gov/news/2022/02/07/dhs-va-launch-new-online-services-noncitizen-service-members-veterans-and-their



2.) DHS, VA Announce Initiative to Support Noncitizen Service Members, Veterans, and Immediate Family Members

“Together with our partner the Department of Veterans Affairs, we are committed to bringing back military service members, veterans, and their immediate family members who were unjustly removed and ensuring they receive the benefits to which they may be entitled. Today we are taking important steps to make that a reality.” 

“It’s our responsibility to serve all veterans as well as they have served us – no matter who they are, where they are from, or the status of their citizenship,” said Secretary McDonough. “Keeping that promise means ensuring that noncitizen service members, veterans, and their families are guaranteed a place in the country they swore an oath – and in many cases fought – to defend. We at VA are proud to work alongside DHS as to make that happen.”  

SOURCE : https://www.dhs.gov/news/2021/07/02/dhs-va-announce-initiative-support-noncitizen-service-members-veterans-and-immediate



3.) Home
* Secretary's Priorities
* The Immigrant Military Members and Veterans Initiative, and how VA supports immigrant Veterans

The Immigrant Military Members and Veterans Initiative (IMMVI) launched in July 2021 when VA partnered with the Department of Homeland Security to consolidate relevant federal resources for noncitizen service members, Veterans and their families, caregivers and survivors. The Initiative also launched a portal for Veterans who need assistance in applying to return to the United States and for accessing VA benefits to which they may be entitled.

Late last month, as the VA lead for IMMVI, I joined the DHS team to visit deported Veterans, stakeholders and recently repatriated Veterans to promote
the new online tools that would help them. The trip included stops in California, Texas, and Tijuana, Mexico.

SOURCE : https://news.va.gov/102866/the-immigrant-military-members-and-veterans-initiative-and-how-va-supports-immigrant-veterans/



* Who is eligible for benefits?

All eligible Veterans are entitled to VA benefits regardless of their immigrant status. The same applies to those who live abroad.

Unfortunately, identifying these Veterans – especially deported Veterans – has been challenging.

VA has worked closely with LULAC, Repatriate our Patriots, American GI Forum and the American Legion for assistance, and with DHS to identify Veterans who have been deported and those who have been repatriated.