{"id":30414,"date":"2020-02-14T20:57:09","date_gmt":"2020-02-14T20:57:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/02\/14\/this-proposed-law-would-help-deported-veterans-finish-the-citizenship-process\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T06:28:03","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T06:28:03","slug":"this-proposed-law-would-help-deported-veterans-finish-the-citizenship-process","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/02\/14\/this-proposed-law-would-help-deported-veterans-finish-the-citizenship-process\/","title":{"rendered":"This proposed law would help deported veterans finish the citizenship process"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Last summer, Customs and Border Patrol stopped a deported<\/a> Marine Corps veteran on his way to a citizenship interview from entering the U.S. at the San Ysidro, California checkpoint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though former Sgt. Roman Sabal<\/a>\u2019s story was complicated, it inspired Army veteran Sen. Tammy Duckworth<\/a>, D-Illinois, to propose a bill Thursday that would require CBP to allow deportees to attend appointments at ports of entry, consulates or embassies without having to make their case for \u201cadvance parole,\u201d which temporarily suspends deportation proceedings or decisions while an immigrant works their way through the naturalization process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFar too many veterans like Roman \u2014 who have been cruelly deported by the same nation they sacrificed to defend \u2014 are unable to attend their citizenship interviews because of ambiguous federal policies that keep them from re-entering the country,\u201d Duckworth said in a release. \u201cThis legislation would help ensure these veterans receive a fair chance at gaining citizenship without unnecessary delays that prevent them from reuniting with their families.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dubbed the Strengthening Citizenship Services for Veterans Act, the law would require Citizenship and Immigration Services to take biometric information, to naturalization examinations and perform oath ceremonies at ports of entry, consulates or embassies for veterans working toward citizenship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Sabal\u2019s case, the Belizean citizen would have been able to do his interview at San Ysidro and return home while he awaited next steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Veterans have become a flash point as the Trump administration<\/a> has tamped down on illegal immigration and undocumented immigrants. Historically, immigrants have been able to earn citizenship through service, but some were not aware of the necessary steps or never completed the process, making them vulnerable to deportation \u2015 especially for immigrant veterans who later committed crimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\t