I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1405 
To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a veterans visa 
program to permit veterans who have been removed from the United 
States to return as immigrants, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 7, 2017 
Mr. GRIJALVA (for himself, Mr. GUTIE´RREZ, Mr. VARGAS, Mr. JOHNSON of 
Georgia, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. CA´RDENAS, Ms. NORTON, Mr. RYAN of 
Ohio, Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas, Mr. VELA, Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of 
Illinois, Mr. TED LIEU of California, Mr. CICILLINE, Ms. JAYAPAL, Mr. 
MCGOVERN, Mr. AGUILAR, Mr. DESAULNIER, Mr. TAKANO, Mr. 
GALLEGO, Ms. JUDY CHU of California, and Mr. BLUMENAUER) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Ju-
diciary, and in addition to the Committees on Armed Services, and Vet-
erans’ Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 
in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the juris-
diction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish 
a veterans visa program to permit veterans who have 
been removed from the United States to return as immi-
grants, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as ‘‘The Veterans Visa and 
Protection Act of 2017’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) The term ‘‘crime of violence’’ means an of-
fense defined in section 16 of title 18, United States 
Code, excluding a purely political offense, for which 
the noncitizen has served a term of imprisonment of 
at least 5 years. 
(2) The term ‘‘deported veteran’’ means a vet-
eran who is a noncitizen and who— 
(A) was removed from the United States; 
or 
(B) is abroad and is inadmissible under 
section 212(a) of the Immigration and Nation-
ality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)). 
(3) The term ‘‘noncitizen’’ means an individual 
who is not a national of the United States (as de-
fined in section 101(a)(22) of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(22))). 
(4) The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 
of Homeland Security. 
(5) The term ‘‘service member’’ means an indi-
vidual who is serving as a member of a regular or 
reserve component of the Armed Forces of the 
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United States on active duty or as a member of a 
reserve component of the Armed Forces in an active 
status. 
(6) The term ‘‘veteran’’ has the meaning given 
such term under section 101(2) of title 38, United 
States Code. 
SEC. 3. RETURN OF NONCITIZEN VETERANS REMOVED 
FROM THE UNITED STATES; STATUS FOR 
NONCITIZEN 
VETERANS 
IN 
THE 
UNITED 
STATES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.— 
(1) DUTIES
OF
SECRETARY.—Not later than 
180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the Secretary shall— 
(A) establish a program and application 
procedure to permit— 
(i) deported veterans who meet the re-
quirements of subsection (b) to enter the 
United States as a noncitizen lawfully ad-
mitted for permanent residence; and 
(ii) noncitizen veterans in the United 
States who meet the requirements of sub-
section (b) to adjust status to that of a 
noncitizen lawfully admitted for permanent 
residence; and 
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(B) cancel the removal of noncitizen vet-
erans ordered removed who meet the require-
ments of subsection (b) and allow them to ad-
just status to that of a noncitizen lawfully ad-
mitted for permanent residence. 
(2) NO NUMERICAL LIMITATIONS.—Nothing in 
this section or in any other law shall be construed 
to apply a numerical limitation on the number of 
veterans who may be eligible to receive benefits 
under paragraph (1). 
(b) ELIGIBILITY.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other 
provision of law, including sections 212 and 237 of 
the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C.1182; 
1227), a veteran shall be eligible for the program es-
tablished under subsection (a)(1)(A), or cancellation 
of removal under subsection (a)(1)(B), if the Sec-
retary determines that the veteran— 
(A) was not ordered removed, or removed, 
from the United States due to a criminal con-
viction for— 
(i) a crime of violence; or 
(ii) a crime that endangers the na-
tional security of the United States for 
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