Marine Corps spouse Alejandra Juarez had lived in the United States for 20 years when she was forced to return to Mexico, leaving behind her husband and two young daughters. Now, Senator Tammy Duckworth, D-Il., has introduced legislation to bolster the policy that could have prevented Juarez's deportation.
The Parole in Place program allows undocumented family members of military personnel and veterans to lawfully remain in the United States in one-year increments. The policy allows soldiers serving overseas on deployments the peace of mind of knowing spouses or family members at home who entered the U.S. illegally will not be deported in the meantime. The Trump administration made efforts to withdraw the protections offered by the PIP program back in June of this year.
Duckworth's legislation, the Military Family Parole in Place Act, will safeguard the PIP program.
“Our troops serving overseas should be focused on doing their jobs, not worrying about whether their family members will be deported,” Duckworth said. “Ending these deportation protections would be a cruel, inhumane and a direct threat to our military readiness, which is why I’m introducing this legislation that would support our men and women in combat by protecting their families from deportation.”
The legislation is being co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Ed Markey, D-Mass., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Minn., Robert Menendez, D-N.J., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Chris Coons, D-Del. It has been endorsed by Military Officers Association of America, Veterans for American Ideals, UnidosUS and National Immigration Forum.
Earlier this year, Duckworth also re-introduced three bills to protect and support veterans and servicemembers. Her proposals—the Veterans Visa and Protection Act, HOPE Act and I-VETS Act—would prohibit the deportation of veterans who are not violent offenders, give legal permanent residents a path to citizenship through military service and strengthen VA healthcare services for Veterans.
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