How We Fail US Foreign-Born Veterans: A Scoping Study of the Literature

Abstract: Many foreign-born US service members have taken advantage of expedited naturalization provisions for them to obtain US citizenship through military service. However, while citizenship was almost automatic for veterans in centuries past, today this is more difficult to achieve, and some veterans may even be at risk of deportation because they did not or were not able to naturalize. This scoping study synthesizes academic articles and grey literature, focusing on data, naturalization laws, and executive orders that have an impact on foreign-born veterans and foreign-born service members alike. This group has sacrificed much like their native-born veteran counterparts, yet do not always receive the same honor as them. Findings indicate a need for more research to drive policy that would address the country’s significant debt to its foreign-born veterans.