Magaziner Introduces Amendment to Defense Bill to Prevent Deportation of Veterans without Due Process
WASHINGTON, DC — Today U.S. Representative Seth Magaziner (RI-02) will offer an amendment to the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to protect U.S. servicemembers, veterans and their families from deportation without due process or access to legal counsel.
The amendment is in direct response to the Trump Administration’s continued arrest, detention, and deportation of veterans and their family members since taking office. In July, Magaziner co-hosted a Homeland Security Committee oversight forum to investigate reports of abuse by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under the Trump Administration.
At the forum, Magaziner heard testimony from Alejandro Barranco, a U.S. Marine veteran and son of Narciso Barranco, who has lived and worked in the United States since the 1990s. Narciso was violently detained and beaten by ICE agents while working as a landscaper, an incident captured on video.
In another case, 55-year old Sae Joon Park, a U.S. veteran and Purple Heart recipient originally from South Korea who came to the U.S. at age 7, self-deported after facing the threat of detainment and removal by the Trump Administration.
On another occasion, the wife of a U.S. Marine veteran and mother of two was detained by ICE during a green card appointment, despite having lived in the United States for more than a decade. She had just given birth to their second child and was still breastfeeding when she was detained and taken away to an ICE facility four hours away from their home.
“President Trump promised that his administration would go after criminals and the ‘worst of the worst.’ Instead, his administration has targeted veterans who faithfully served our country in uniform,” said Magaziner. “My amendment to this year’s defense authorization bill makes clear that those who served deserve respect and due process from the government they fought to protect.”
The annual NDAA sets annual defense and national security-related policies and authorizes funding levels for the U.S. Department of Defense.
Magaziner’s amendment is co-sponsored by Reps. Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Julie Johnson (TX-32), Jerrold Nadler (NY-12), John Larson (CT-01), Jasmine Crockett (TX-30), Jill Tokuda (HI-02), Cleo Fields (LA-06), Yassmin Ansari (AZ-03), Juan Vargas (CA-52), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Laura Friedman (CA-30), and Dan Goldman (NY-10).
You can read the full text of Magaziner’s amendment here.
