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Many Americans can see the crisis at the border firsthand. Poll after poll shows the fact that not only is illegal immigration unpopular, but it is also burdening cities across the country with financial strain and legitimate safety concerns. However, there is another aspect of the conversation surrounding illegal aliens that does not get much coverage in the media. Not only is illegal immigration harming millions of Americans, but it also has a particular impact on our nation’s veterans.
While illegal immigrants — who break the law upon entry to this great country — have received more attention and greater resources, the men and women who served our nation honorably continue to be left behind. It is time for the Biden administration to not only close the border, but to begin honoring the individuals who served to defend our borders.
Looking at the current state of our border, it is difficult to understand the logic behind the Biden administration’s decisions. For example, according to some statistics, the administration has overseen the illegal entry of over 10 million illegal aliens.
President Joe Biden has not only created a crisis — as he quickly repealed key elements of the Trump administration’s border policy upon assuming office — but he has actually incentivized the practice of illegally entering our country as well. Look no further than a recent asylum rule change that one scholar categorized as “a big flashing ‘welcome’ sign for undocumented immigrants.”
As seen from an aerial view, Texas National Guard troops watch over more than 1,000 immigrants who had crossed the Rio Grande overnight from Mexico on December 18, 2023, in Eagle Pass, Texas. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
That approach has permeated throughout the federal bureaucracy, infecting not just the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Defense, but also the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Some members of Congress are advocating for a bill that would encourage illegal aliens to join the military as both an expedited path to citizenship and a solution to the nation’s worst recruiting crisis in a generation.
For example, earlier this year, the VA (rightfully) came under fire for helping pay for treatment for illegal aliens and their families, while nearly half a million veterans and their families await treatment. Moreover, the VA was also exposed for siphoning millions of dollars from funds dedicated to supporting veterans towards programs to house illegal aliens. All the while, veteran homelessness has risen 19% over the course of this administration. This cannot stand, yet there is a better path forward.
Firstly, we must secure our southern border. The lack of vetting, the abuse of the immigration system and the serious national security concerns must first be addressed if we are to regain control of our nation’s border.
Once complete, we may then truly begin to give the men and women who served our country the attention and resources they rightfully deserve. Ensuring the VA is properly funded and enabled to provide veterans with greater choice in their healthcare decisions are noble goals that we ought to pursue.
VideoAdditionally, we can also begin to deal with the more than 100,000 legal residents who signed up to serve in our military under the promise of citizenship. Unlike the bill put forth by this Congress — that incentivizes more illegal immigration — the path I suggest is one that fulfills a promise made when many of these veterans fled their native countries, signed up to defend ours, and adopted the American way.
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Many of them have been in this country for decades under ambiguous legal status and more than 10,000 have already been deported. Imagine being a deported U.S. veteran, watching as millions of illegal migrants are allowed entry. Instead of fast-tracking potential criminals, we should offer a Patriotic Path for citizenship to those who served honorably. A third-party organization could expedite non-citizen veterans to citizenship within 12 months.
Additionally, this pathway ought to allow those under the age of 22, who have been in the United States since childhood, to serve in the military and gain citizenship, thereby avoiding the enlistment of recent migrants with ill intentions.
Unfortunately, it seems that Biden would rather continue to advertise a problematic path to citizenship for millions of illegal aliens rather than taking care of the men and women who have already served our country — citizens and legal residents alike.
As the CEO of VetComm — an organization dedicated to ensuring veterans are properly compensated by the VA for their disabilities — I can say the audacity and malicious intent it takes to give away funds meant for veterans to illegal migrants is unforgivable. Do our veterans deserve neglect and deportation while the millions of recent illegal immigrants desecrate and destroy cities across the country?
Given that they have fulfilled their promises to our nation, I believe it is time we secure border and do the same.
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Kate Monroe is a Marine Corps veteran, CEO of Vetcomm and author of “The Race to Save America.”
