Congress Questions VA and DHS on Gathering Data on Non-US Citizen Employees
TL/DR –
Over 20 members of Congress are seeking answers from the Department of Veterans Affairs and homeland security officials after it was revealed that the VA is compiling a report on all non-US citizens working with or for the agency. This report will be shared with other federal agencies, including immigration authorities. Democrats are leading the demand for answers, with lawmakers expressing concern that this will strike fear into noncitizens who work for the VA during an aggressive immigration crackdown.
VA and Homeland Security Questioned by Congress over Immigrant Employee Information Sharing
Over 20 Congressional members are seeking answers from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and homeland security officials. This follows revelations that the VA is compiling a report on all non-US citizens employed or linked with the agency for sharing with other federal entities, including immigration authorities.
The concerned lawmakers, spearheaded by Illinois Congresswoman Delia Ramirez, Californian Congressman Mark Takano, and US Senator Richard Blumenthal from Connecticut, who are leading Democrats on the House and Senate veterans affairs committees, are preparing a group letter to VA Secretary Doug Collins and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
The collective letter notes that the report may instill fear among noncitizen VA employees amidst the Trump administration’s aggressive arrest and deportation crusade against immigrants nationwide. Other endorsing members of this letter include US Senator Tammy Duckworth, Congressman Robert Garcia, Congressman Greg Casar, and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal.
The VA runs the nation’s largest integrated healthcare system, annually serving 9 million veterans across 170 hospitals and over 1,000 outpatient clinics. Employing 450,000 workers, the VA works closely with the majority of major medical schools. In the letter, lawmakers accuse the VA and Department of Homeland Security of conspiring to unlawfully intimidate, imprison, and deport VA employees.
The VA affirmed its intentions to share data gleaned with other federal agencies for immigration enforcement. The VA report, including non-citizen doctors, nurses, researchers, and medical students, is expected to be submitted to Collins later this month.
VA Press Secretary, Peter Kasperowicz, stated that the VA is legally required to regularly scrutinize all employees and affiliates for compliance with the federal government’s trusted workforce standards. This scrutiny process involves reporting on all non-US citizens associated with the VA, which will not impact veterans or their care and services.
Despite VA’s assurances, lawmakers, veterans, and VA employees fear that the database may exacerbate staffing shortages due to potential resignations by qualified workers. The VA inspector general’s report in August flagged severe staffing shortages at all VA hospitals. According to an analysis of VA data by the Guardian, the agency has lost thousands of mission-critical healthcare workers since the start of Trump’s term, including nearly 3,000 nurses and over 1,000 doctors.
Owing to considerable foreign graduates in specialties such as psychiatry, neurology, gerontology, and nephrology, the VA has been recruiting many foreign healthcare workers, particularly to serve in rural areas suffering from chronic physician shortages. The agency has also supported these recruits in obtaining legal status through National Interest Waivers. However, the DHS and the state department’s attempts to impose visa restrictions this year have been met with opposition from medical and immigrant rights groups.
The lawmakers’ letter also expresses concern about the potential increased immigration enforcement against military veterans, a quarter of the VA’s workforce, noting that military service does not necessitate US citizenship. They caution that the proposed data collection could lead to the unlawful imprisonment or deportation of veterans who served in the military but were denied US citizenship.
The lawmakers have requested documents and data from the VA and DHS, setting a deadline of 24 December and also asked for a congressional briefing by 19 December.
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