IVETS Act Mandates Tracking of Immigrant Veterans' Records, Prohibits Using Service for Deportation

If you’re an immigrant who has served, or is currently serving, in the U.S. Armed Forces, this proposed legislation, the Immigrant Veterans Eligibility Tracking System Act (IVETS Act), is directly aimed at you. It’s a procedural bill that focuses on one thing: making sure your service is officially recorded and, crucially, protected within the immigration system.

The Mandatory Military Check

The core of the IVETS Act is a requirement placed on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Whenever an alien—a non-citizen—applies for an immigration benefit (like a green card or naturalization) or faces an immigration enforcement proceeding (like a deportation hearing), DHS must now conduct a mandatory check. They have to determine if that individual is currently serving or has previously served on active duty in any regular or reserve component of the U.S. military. This isn't optional; it’s a required step in the process.

Annotating the Records

Once that military service is confirmed, the Secretary of Homeland Security must immediately “annotate” the individual’s immigration and naturalization records to reflect that service. Think of it like a permanent, official sticky note on your file that says, “This person served.” The bill states this annotation is necessary to track the outcomes for these specific individuals. For the average person, this means better, more consistent record-keeping, ensuring that your military commitment isn't overlooked by the bureaucracy.

The Critical Safeguard

Here is the most significant part of the IVETS Act, the provision that offers a real, practical safeguard: The bill explicitly states that the information gathered about military service may not be used by the government to remove (deport) an alien from the United States. This is a direct protection written into the law, ensuring that the act of identifying service members doesn't become a tool for enforcement against them. For immigrant veterans and active-duty personnel, this provision offers a clear legal barrier against their service being weaponized against them in immigration court.

This legislation is highly procedural, but the impact is straightforward: It ensures the government has a standardized process for recognizing military service within the immigration context, and it builds a protective firewall around that service information. While it doesn't grant new benefits, it formalizes a recognition process and, most importantly, adds a mandatory prohibition on using that service record as grounds for removal.