,,iii #aahth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 ,,con4 ,,res4 #ci ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,july #ca1 #bjbd,mr4 ,booker 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,padilla1 ,mrs4 ,murray1 ,ms4 ,hirono1 and ,ms4 ,duckworth7 submitted the following concurrent resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on the ,judiciary ,,concurrent ,,resolution ,expressing the sense of ,congress that individuals who have been wrongfully or unjustly deported from the ,united ,states who established significant ties to the ,united ,states through years of life in the ,united ,states deserve a chance to come home to reunite with loved ones through a fair and centralized process within the ,department of ,homeland ,security4 ,whereas1 since #bjad1 the ,united ,states has deported over #b1jjj1jjj individuals1 and not every such deportation was fair1 just1 or accurate under ,federal law2 ,whereas many individuals who were wrongfully or unjustly deported had resided in the ,united ,states for years or even decades1 raising their families1 building their own businesses1 and contributing to their communities and the ,united ,states economy2 ,whereas1 in ,padilla v4 ,kentucky 7#bjaj71 the ,supreme ,court states that deportation is a particularly harsh penalty and recognizes the severity of deportation as the equivalent of banishment or exile2 ,whereas nearly all individuals who were deported based on an unjust removal order1 or who have a new claim to lawful status in the ,united ,states since their deportation1 do not have an avenue to meaningfully present their case to return home and reunite with their loved ones in the ,united ,states2 ,whereas there are limited but critical procedures under ,united ,states immigration law for allowing wrongfully or unjustly deported individuals to seek return to the ,united ,states after deportation1 but in practice such mechanisms are difficult to access and onerous to navigate and rarely result in permission to return2 ,whereas individuals wrongfully or unjustly deported from the ,united ,states include-- 7#a7 individuals who have been separated from their children1 families1 and loved ones after residing in the ,united ,states for years or decades2 7#b7 recipients of deferred action under the ,deferred ,action for ,childhood ,arrivals program who lost such status as a result of protracted litigation related to the program2 7#c7 individuals targeted for deportation as retaliation for exercising their right under the ,first ,amendment to the ,constitution of the ,united ,states to protest conditions in the immigration system2 7#d7 individuals who have succeeded in winning their immigration cases after deportation but nevertheless are unable to return to the ,united ,states2 7#e7 individuals deported for past nonviolent criminal convictions who have subsequently demonstrated a commitment to renewal and to their community2 7#f7 individuals whose criminal convictions that were the basis of deportation have been expunged or pardoned2 and 7#g7 veterans who served the ,united ,states2 ,whereas1 by permanently separating individuals from their children1 spouses1 and communities1 deportation leads to destabilizing and enduring poverty1 food and housing insecurity1 and irreparable psychological harm to children left behind2 ,whereas many deported individuals are sent back to dangerous conditions that pose a significant risk to their lives and well-being1 or to countries where they have no personal ties at all2 ,whereas the harms of deportation disproportionately affect ,black and brown immigrant families1 who are over-represented within the deportation system2 ,whereas the ,immigration ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aaja et seq471 relevant regulations1 and ,federal agency policy do include certain legal mechanisms and avenues designed to allow an individual to present a case for return after deportation 7including through procedures to reopen a closed immigration court case71 to effectuate return upon prevailing on an appeal1 and to seek discretionary authority to return2 however1 such mechanisms intended by ,congress and the relevant ,federal agencies to remedy wrongful or unjust deportations are largely ineffective and insufficient due to a decentralized review process1 associated lengthy wait times1 complicated and opaque application procedures1 little to no access to counsel1 and a lack of resources for line-level decisionmakers with the ,department of ,homeland ,security to meaningfully consider such cases2 ,whereas a centralized1 dedicated unit within the ,department of ,homeland ,security that offers a fair and independent process for reviewing applications from individuals seeking to return to the ,united ,states after a wrongful or unjust deportation would ensure greater fairness and consistency in adjudication1 alleviate the burden on individual ,government attorneys and immigration courts1 and reorient the ,department of ,homeland ,security toward remedying past wrongful or unjust deportation decisions2 ,whereas such a unit could exercise the legal and discretionary authority already provided under ,federal law to facilitate the return of individuals whose removal orders were contrary to law or justice2 ,whereas the ,department of ,homeland ,security has already established a successful central removal review unit1 known as ,imm,vets1 for the repatriation of wrongfully or unjustly deported ,united ,states veterans1 including approximately #ajj such veterans who have returned to the ,united ,states after deportation1 which demonstrates the feasibility and effectiveness of such an approach2 ,whereas establishing such a unit is wholly within the broad legal authority of the ,department of ,homeland ,security and would bring fairness and credibility to the ,united ,states immigration system2 and ,whereas bringing home wrongfully or unjustly deported fathers1 mothers1 community leaders1 and workers is essential for moving toward an immigration system that prioritizes family unity1 community well-being1 economic prosperity1 and basic due process3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that it is the sense of ,congress that wrongfully or unjustly deported individuals deserve a meaningful chance to come home to the ,united ,states and reunite with their loved ones through a centralized unit within the ,department of ,homeland ,security dedicated to reviewing requests for return to the ,united ,states4