WASHINGTON – Today, Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva and Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), and to the Department of Defense (DOD) requesting a briefing on the status of the interagency Immigrant Military Members and Veterans Initiative (IMMVI), which aims to assist noncitizen service members who were deported from the United States. The letter highlights this issue as a top priority for the Caucus, and outlines questions on the steps the agencies are taking to assist noncitizen service members, veterans and their immediate family members who were deported from the United States.

“As Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), we are writing to inquire about the status of the interagency Immigrant Military Members and Veterans Initiative (IMMVI), which your departments and other federal agencies are leading, to assist noncitizen service members who were deported from the United States,” the Members wrote. “The IMMVI’s objectives are strongly aligned with the CHC’s priorities as we believe that those who have served our country, paid for their actions, and who do not pose a threat to our communities, should not be discarded and their cases should be adjudicated within the United States.”

The letter was signed by the following Members of Congress: CHC Chair Raul Ruiz M.D., CHC First Vice-Chair Nanette Diaz Barragán, Second Vice-Chair Adriano Espaillat, CHC Whip Rep. Darren Soto, CHC Freshman Representative Teresa Leger Fernández, Rep. Salud Carbajal, Rep. J. Luis Correa, Rep. Raúl Grijalva, Rep. Ruben Gallego, Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, Rep. Henry Cuellar, Rep. Jimmy Gomez, Rep. Grace F. Napolitano, Rep. Joaquin Castro, Rep. Linda T. Sánchez, Rep. Pete Aguilar, Rep. Jesús G. “Chuy” García, Rep. Tony Cárdenas, Rep. Michael F.Q. San Nicolas.

Full text of the letter can be found here and below.