Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

The purpose of this poster presentation is threefold: to examine (1) existing data on deported veterans, (2) non-profit efforts to meet the needs of this population, and (3) policy initiatives to address this critical issue. Veterans who are legal residents are subject to deportation if convicted of crimes such as assault or substance abuse (Halbert, 2018). There is a dearth of data on this population; however, it is estimated that over 2000 veterans have been deported (Marcano, et al., 2016), many of whom live along the border region. Even considering these figures, little data exists concerning deported veterans, which highlights the need for more study and discussion on the difficulties they face. A non-profit organization that provides support to deported veterans in Tijuana has had difficulty keeping exact figures on how many individuals pass through its doors, but the best available data from 2017/18 shows that 323 veterans nation-wide have been deported to more than 40 countries around the world (Deported Veterans Support House).

General consensus among deported veterans and immigration advocates point to the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigration Responsibility Act (IIRIR) as a turning point for veteran deportation. IIRIR dramatically expanded grounds for deportation while also preventing immigration judges from exercising discretion on matters such as honorable military service, mental and physical health condition, and family ties inside the U.S. (Marcano, et al., 2016). Following deportation, veterans are unable to access essential services and benefits that they are lawfully entitled to such as education benefits, vocational rehabilitation, home loans, disability claims, and most importantly, health care. As a result, deported veterans’ access to services is limited to those provided by under-resourced non-profits and intermittent mobile health clinics. Deported veterans also require assistance to include housing, clothing, food, social activities, and legal help (Barajas, 2019). These organizations, however, are extremely low on resources and require consistent aid to continue functioning.

Due to the immigration policies currently in place, we ascertain that deported veterans are being denied critical access to substance addiction treatment, mental and behavioral health counseling, service-connected disability payments, and the support of family members (Barajas, 2019). Although some progress has been made in the form of legislation such as the Veterans Visa and Protection Act, as well as the deployment of mobile health clinics, little else is being done to ensure that deported veterans are receiving critical services in a timely manner. We hope to see that all branches of the military adopt more effective ways to inform, train, and protect non-citizens in the military so that they decrease the risk of being deported after being honorably discharged from federal service.