We Bring Veterans Home
Deported Veterans Legal Services Project
ImmDef’s Deported Veterans Project provides dedicated immigration legal representation to United States military veterans seeking lawful repatriation and the chance to return to the country they served. As one of the nation’s leading nonprofit immigration law centers for this type of work, ImmDef delivers essential legal support and advocacy for veterans who were deported despite their honorable military service.
ImmDef’s Deported Veterans Project has helped bring home veterans who were unjustly removed from the United States and secured permanent lawful status of our repatriated clients. Yet despite these successes, the federal government continues to detain and deport veterans who served in the U.S. Armed Forces.
In this era of unprecedented immigration enforcement, our work extends beyond repatriation. We also provide critical legal support to active-duty service members, veterans, and their families who have been detained or placed in removal proceedings. Our goal is simple: ensure that those who have served our country receive the dignity, protection, and due process they deserve.
Providing Access to A Pathway Back Home
Immigrant service members who serve honorably in the U.S. military are legally eligible for expedited naturalization, yet this process is completed far less often than the law intends. Although hundreds of thousands of foreign-born veterans live in the United States, only a fraction have been naturalized. Many veterans are unaware that, without citizenship, they remain vulnerable to detention and deportation—even after risking their lives in service to the country. Because the government does not track how many veterans have been deported, the true number remains unknown.
A significant number of deported veterans served in Vietnam, the Persian Gulf War, and the post‑9/11 war on terrorism, leaving many with serious physical and mental health needs. Deportation not only separates veterans from the nation and families they served—it also cuts them off from the Veterans’ Affairs (VA) medical care and benefits they earned through their service.
ImmDef provides critical immigration legal assistance to ensure deported veterans receive the representation, support, and pathway home they deserve. Our team works to restore stability, reunite families, and help veterans pursue lawful repatriation.
For more information or to refer a case, contact deportedvets@immdef.org.
For more information, or to refer a case, email us at deportedvets@immdef.org
ImmDef uses a universal representation model and will represent any veteran that qualifies for our services on a merits-blind basis. We will never turn a case away based on the existence of complicating factors or a low likelihood of success.
Welcome New Clients
Our Deported Veteran Program also provides immigration legal representation for family members of veterans and military members. Our program represents family members in removal proceedings for California residents. We also provide affirmative immigration services for veterans, military members and eligible family members who live in LA County. This program ensures that veterans, military members and their families receive timely support, legal guidance, and a pathway toward stability and potential repatriation.
For more information, or to refer a case, email us at deportedvets@immdef.org
Pagtataguyod para sa Batas sa Pagkilala sa Serbisyo ng mga Beterano
ImmDef Legal Services Director Amanda Schuft shares her day of advocacy at the 2023 LULAC National Convention and Exposition. ImmDef is advocating for the passage of the Veterans Service Recognition Act (VSRA) with several member partner organizations: Black Deported Veterans of America, Repatriate Our Veterans, ACLU Nationwide, and LULAC.
The VSRA will support non-citizen service members to apply for United States citizenship during basic training, require ICE to consider military service in enforcement, and support the repatriation of deported veterans.
Client Story: Stephen
Our client Stephen, a U.S. Military veteran, was deported despite having served for this country.
Hear his first thoughts after being granted citizenship!