Dr. Stirling Testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on June 23, 2021

Our CEO was asked to testify before the Senate Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship,

and Border Security. Here is a quote:

" A national debt of gratitude is owed to legal permanent residents (LPR’s) who took the oath and agreed to defend the U.S.A. in uniform, risking life and limb to protect the rest of us in far away, dangerous places. No one forced these LPR’s to join – they did so freely from their own sense of duty and patriotism, the days of the draft and compulsory service long gone. Being deported in the wake of committing a crime directly linked to in-service PTSD is the ultimate gut punch to the LPR’s who voluntarily agreed to defend the country. Instead of extending gratitude and mercy to these LPR’s in the wake of their mistakes, current immigration policy treats them instead with harshness and contempt."

Read the Full Testimony

Deportation Division

Register Here for the March 10-12, 2001 Summit

In recent years, nearly 130,000 immigrants who joined the military have gained American citizenship. For various reasons, however, many service members fail to complete the naturalization process, resulting in less legal protections. In fact, it is estimated that hundreds of U.S. military veterans have been deported in recent years for minor offenses.

The CLMP believes that every individual who serves in the U.S. military should have the opportunity to become an American citizen. This means both eliminating barriers and affirmatively facilitating a path to citizenship for service members.

For those veterans who are at risk of deportation, the CLMP aims to support policies that will allow veterans to lawfully remain in the United States of America. For those veterans who are deported, the CLMP aims to support policy solutions that would make it easier and faster for them to access benefits, be re-patriated, and change his or her status to allow them to lawfully remain in the United States of America.

The CLMP will strive to raise awareness to this issue until, as a nation, we do not deport veterans.

Relevant articles, legislation, and reports:

· Repatriate Our Patriots Act, February 12, 2019

· Veterans Visa and Protection Act of 2019, May 15, 2019

· Support and Defend Our Military Personnel and Their Families Act, May 20, 2019

· At the Bunker, March 18, 2016

· America is Denying Citizenship to Service Members at an Unprecedented Rate, May 23, 2019

· Family Separation: Alex Murillo’s Story, February 18, 2019

· Living on the Border: Ivan Ocon’s Story, March 16, 2019

· Passing the Buck: Roman Sabal’s Story, July 16, 2019

· “Discharged then Discarded” ACLU, 2016

· “Land of the Free, No Home to the Brave” Texas Civil Rights Project, 2018