,i  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #ajgh  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,february #g1        
#bjai,mr4 ,gonzalez of ,texas 7for      
himself and ,mr4 ,young7 introduced the 
following bill2 which was referred to   
the ,committee on the ,judiciary1 and in
 addition to the ,committees on ,armed  
,services1 and ,veterans' ,affairs1 for 
a period to be subsequently determined  
by the ,speaker1 in each case for       
consideration of such provisions as fall
 within the jurisdiction of the         
committee concerned  ,a ,,bill  ,to     
prohibit the removal from the ,united   
,states of certain veterans1 to expedite
 their naturalization1 and for other    
purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,repatriate ,our    
,patriots ,act4  #b4 ,definition ,in    
this ,act1 the term special veteran     
means an individual who is an alien and 
is described in section #aja7b7 of title
 #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 except the 
term--  7#a7 only includes individuals  

who were discharged or released from the
 ,armed ,forces under honorable         
conditions2  7#b7 does not include      
individuals who have been convicted of  
voluntary manslaughter1 murder1 rape1   
sexual abuse of a minor1 or any offense 
under chapter #aac;,b of title #ah1     
,united ,states ,code 7relating to      
terrorism72 and  7#c7 does not include  
individuals who have been determined to 
be a child abuser or a pedophile4  #c4  
,protecting special veterans from       
removal ,notwithstanding any other      
provision of law1 including section #bcg
 of the ,immigration and ,nationality   
,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #abbg71 a special    
veteran shall not be removed from the   
,united ,states4  #d4 ,naturalization   
for special veterans  7a7 ,in general   
,notwithstanding any other provision of 
law1 a special veteran shall be         
naturalized as a citizen of the ,united 
,states upon the filing of the          
appropriate application1 paying the     
appropriate fees1 and1 except as        

provided in subsection 7b71 taking and  
subscribing before an officer of the    
,department of ,homeland ,security      
within the ,united ,states to the oath  
of allegiance required by section #ccg  
of the ,immigration and ,nationality    
,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #addh74 ,the         
,secretary of ,homeland ,security shall 
take steps to ensure that the period in 
which an application for naturalization 
under this section is pending does not  
exceed #ij days4 ,the ,secretary shall  
furnish each special veteran naturalized
 under this section with a certificate  
of citizenship4  7b7 ,special veterans  
abroad ,in the case of a special veteran
 residing abroad1 the application for   
naturalization may be filed from abroad1
 and the oath of allegiance described in
 subsection 7a7 may be subscribed to    
abroad at ,united ,states embassies1    
consulates1 and1 as practicable1 ,united
 ,states military installations overseas
 pursuant to the procedures available   
under section #agja7;d7 of the ,national

 ,defense ,authorization ,act for       
,fiscal ,year #bjjd 7#h ,u4,s4,c4       
#addc;a7 for naturalization proceedings 
overseas for members of the ,armed      
,forces and their spouses and children4 
7c7 ,waiver ,consistent with section    
#ccg7;a7 of the ,immigration and        
,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4         
#addh7;a771 the ,secretary of ,homeland 
,security may waive the taking of the   
oath of allegiance described in         
subsection 7a7 by a special veteran if1 
in the opinion of the ,secretary1 the   
special veteran is unable to understand1
 or to communicate an understanding of1 
its meaning because of a physical or    
developmental disability or mental      
impairment4  #e4 ,treatment of special  
veterans in removal proceedings or      
ordered removed ,in the case of a       
special veteran in removal proceedings  
on the date of the enactment of this    
,act1 the ,secretary of ,homeland       
,security shall cancel the removal of   
the special veteran4 ,in the case of a  

special veteran who was ordered removed 
before the date of the enactment of this
 ,act1 the ,attorney ,general shall     
rescind any outstanding order of        
removal1 and any finding that the       
special veteran is subject to removal or
 is inadmissible4 ,in the case of a     
special veteran physically present in   
the ,united ,states whose status as an  
alien lawfully admitted for permanent   
residence was rescinded before the date 
of the enactment of this ,act1 the      
,secretary of ,homeland ,security shall 
allow the veteran to adjust status to   
that of an alien lawfully admitted for  
permanent residence without regard to   
any numerical limitation in the         
,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h  
,u4,s4,c4 #aaja et seq474  #f4 ,return  
of special veterans removed from the    
,united ,states ,not later than #ahj    
days after the date of the enactment of 
this ,act1 the ,secretary shall         
establish a program and application     
procedure to permit special veterans    

removed from the ,united ,states before 
the date of the enactment of this ,act  
to enter the ,united ,states as an alien
 lawfully admitted for permanent        
residence without regard to any         
numerical limitation in the ,immigration
 and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4    
#aaja et seq474  #g4 ,access to military
 benefits ,a special veteran who has    
been naturalized or has obtained the    
status of an alien lawfully admitted for
 permanent residence pursuant to this   
,act shall be eligible for all military 
and veterans benefits for which the     
special veteran would have been eligible
 if the special veteran had never been  
ordered removed1 been removed1 or       
voluntarily departed1 from the ,united  
,states4  #h4 ,identification of special
 veterans  7a7 ,identification ,the     
,secretary of ,homeland ,security shall 
identify immigration cases involving    
special veterans by-- 7#a7 inquiring of 
every alien processed prior to          
initiating removal proceedings whether  

the alien is a special veteran2 and     
7#b7 keeping records of special veterans
 who have been detained under the       
immigration laws1 had removal           
proceedings against them initiated      
before the date of the enactment of this
 ,act1 or been removed before such date4
  7b7 ,record annotation ,when the      
,secretary has identified a case under  
subsection 7a71 the ,secretary shall    
annotate all immigration and            
naturalization records of the           
,department of ,homeland ,security      
relating to the special veteran involved
 so as to reflect that identification   
and afford an opportunity to track the  
outcomes for the veteran4 ,such         
annotation shall include--  7#a7 the    
veteran's branch of military service2   
7#b7 whether or not the veteran served  
during a period of military hostilities 
described in section #cbi of the        
,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h  
,u4,s4,c4 #addj72 and  7#c7 the         
veteran's immigration status at the time

 of enlistment4