The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced the Consideration of U.S. Military Service When Making Discretionary Determinations with Regard to Enforcement Actions Against Noncitizens policy directive June 7.
According to an ICE news release, the new policy directive takes into consideration if an individual has served in the U.S. military when deciding upon civil immigration enforcement actions against noncitizens.
“ICE values the incredible contributions of noncitizens who have served in the U.S. military," ICE Acting Director Tae D. Johnson said in the release. "Through this directive, ICE will consider U.S. military service by a noncitizen or their immediate family members when determining whether to take civil immigration enforcement decisions against a noncitizen."
Before the directive was implemented, ICE took someone’s U.S. military service into consideration when deciding on enforcement decisions on a case by case basis, the release stated. The new directive would make that a required policy moving forward.
“This policy enhancement also creates training, tracking and reporting requirements for program offices specifically requiring that ICE develop and implement a system to collect and maintain relevant data related to noncitizen current and former U.S. service members, while appropriately respecting civil liberties and privacy interests,” the release reported.
According to the release, the “military service” reference includes the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, Coast Guard and National Guard and their “reserve components.”
