WASHINGTON – The Veterans of Foreign Wars is very concerned that the dependent children of U.S. service members and government employees stationed overseas, and who are also legal permanent residents of the U.S., may face difficulty returning to the United States.
The concern arose from an update published Wednesday by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) that rescinds a previous policy. The main concern to VFW National Commander William “Doc” Schmitz is that the new USCIS policy specifically targets dependent children of U.S. military personnel and U.S. government employees.
“The big question is why target dependent children?” asks Schmitz. “This has a huge negative impact on the morale of those in the fight, supporting the fight, or who are projecting America’s presence around the world,” he said. “To intentionally target these children who are born to legal permanent residents minimizes the fact that their parents are serving the United States on foreign soil, and in many cases shedding their own blood so that others don’t have to. I strongly urge Acting USCIS Director Ken Cuccinelli to rescind this policy change now!”