US Senator Condemns VA's 'Fear-Based' Data Collection Targeting Non-Citizen Workers
Prominent US Senator Adam Schiff has issued a strongly worded letter expressing profound alarm over the Veterans Affairs Department's controversial data-gathering operation targeting its non-citizen workforce. The intervention follows The Guardian's exclusive report revealing the VA's systematic collection of information about employees and affiliates who are not American citizens.
'Thinly Veiled Effort to Instill Fear' Within VA Community
In his correspondence addressed to both the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Homeland Security, Senator Schiff declared that "the request for non-citizen data can be viewed only as a thinly veiled effort to instill fear within the VA community." The California Democrat further warned that this information would "likely be used to conduct immigration enforcement efforts" against those working within the nation's largest integrated healthcare system.
Schiff emphasised the damaging impact of such initiatives, stating that "these intimidation tactics waste critical time and resources for VA personnel that are already stretched thin." His letter represents the second formal congressional challenge to the controversial data collection programme, following an earlier inquiry led by Illinois Democrat Delia Ramirez in December.
Leaked Memo Reveals Sweeping Data Operation
The controversy stems from a leaked internal memorandum that outlined plans for a comprehensive data-gathering operation targeting all non-citizens "employed or affiliated with" the Veterans Affairs Department. With approximately 450,000 employees and affiliations with most major medical schools across the United States, the VA's reach extends far beyond its direct workforce.
Veteran advocacy groups and congressional members have expressed concern that the broad language employed in the memo could potentially encompass:
- Contractors working with VA facilities
- Medical students completing rotations at VA hospitals
- Volunteers providing services to veterans
- Various other affiliates connected to the department
According to the leaked document, the resulting report was scheduled for presentation to VA Secretary Douglas Collins on 30 December, though congressional sources familiar with the department's internal operations indicate the current status remains unclear.
VA Defends Programme as Standard Compliance Exercise
In response to mounting criticism, Veterans Affairs Secretary Douglas Collins has vigorously defended the data collection initiative. Following The Guardian's initial report in December, Collins appeared on Fox News to dismiss concerns, stating "this is such a nothing story" while characterising the programme as "simply us going back through the process, making sure that we have updated our rolls, updated our background checks."
The VA secretary formally responded to congressional inquiries on 13 January with a brief letter asserting that "the workforce review at issue is not new, not extraordinary, and not ideological." Collins maintained the exercise represented standard compliance procedures that "does not alter Veterans' eligibility for care or benefits, nor does it divert resources from patient care."
Questions Remain About Selective Focus and Staffing Crisis
Despite the department's repeated insistence that their workforce review constitutes standard practice, significant questions persist regarding the programme's selective focus. The Veterans Affairs Department has notably failed to specify why its internal report concentrates exclusively on non-citizen employees rather than conducting a comprehensive review of all personnel.
A spokesperson for Senator Schiff highlighted this discrepancy, noting that "the VA's nonresponse failed to answer why the agency is targeting employees and those affiliated with VA care who have already been vetted." Schiff himself outlined the existing rigorous background and vetting processes required for all VA employees, regardless of immigration status, ensuring that "those who are currently employed by or 'affiliates' with VA are law-abiding individuals."
This controversy emerges against a backdrop of severe staffing challenges within the Veterans Affairs healthcare system. Recent reports indicate the department has lost thousands of essential medical staff including doctors, nurses and psychologists since the beginning of the year. An August investigation by the VA's inspector general revealed "severe" staffing shortages at all 170 of the agency's medical centres nationwide.
The Veterans Affairs Department serves approximately nine million veterans annually through the country's largest integrated healthcare network. The ongoing debate over its data collection practices continues to raise fundamental questions about immigration enforcement, workforce management, and the department's capacity to fulfil its vital mission amid mounting operational challenges.
