VA Orders Department‑Wide List of Non‑Citizen Workers, Sparking Fears of Immigration Enforcement

A leaked internal memo shows the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has ordered a fast, department‑wide collection of personal and employment information on non‑US citizens who are "employed or affiliated" with the agency. The directive requires local VA offices to submit lists of non‑citizen full‑ and part‑time employees, contractors, health professional trainees and volunteers so an internal security office can compile a single report for the VA secretary.

The memo, dated 15 November and prepared by VA chief of staff Christopher Syrek, gives the office of operations, security and preparedness a deadline of 30 December 2025 to deliver a consolidated report identifying all non‑United States citizens "who are employed by or affiliated with VA."

"VA will share any adverse findings with the appropriate agencies to ensure anyone who is not authorized to be in the US is dealt with accordingly," a VA spokesperson said. The spokesperson added: "No one who is not an illegal immigrant has anything to worry about."

VA spokesman Pete Kasperowicz framed the effort as part of a statutory obligation to "continuously vet all employees and affiliates... to ensure they meet the federal government’s trusted workforce standards." The public federal guidance he cited does not explicitly state that immigration status is a component of continuous vetting, however.

The memo directs data collection only for non‑citizens and makes no parallel request for lists of US citizens. That narrow focus has alarmed current and former VA officials and outside advocates, who say a centralised roster could be used for immigration enforcement and could chill recruitment and retention.

The VA is a large agency: more than 450,000 people work for the department delivering healthcare, education, rehabilitation and other services to veterans, and the agency relies on thousands of contractors nationwide. More than one‑quarter of VA staff are veterans themselves, and military service does not require US citizenship.

The memo's sweep could touch many roles: clinicians (doctors and nurses), medical and allied health trainees, researchers under contract, volunteers, and even contractors who provide cleaning, maintenance or other services. The document warns that failure to meet the reporting requirement "may result in physical or logical access termination and separation of unaccounted or unvetted personnel."

Critics say the list‑making raises civil‑liberties and operational concerns. Representative Delia Ramirez, ranking member of the House veterans affairs committee's oversight and investigations subcommittee, described the exercise as an authoritarian tactic that targets non‑citizen employees who provide essential services to veterans and risks demoralising the workforce.

Nayna Gupta, policy director at the American Immigration Council, warned that compiling a centralised dataset identifying non‑citizens and their immigration protections makes that information an obvious target for agencies pursuing enforcement. Other former VA officials and advocates say the move may deter people—including veterans—from working for the department.

Healthcare and patient‑safety experts also raised alarms. Suzanne Gordon of the Veterans Healthcare Policy Institute said the directive risks creating a hostile work environment that undermines patient safety by increasing anxiety among staff. Kayla Williams, a former VA official, said the memo follows other actions this year that have already chilled interest in VA employment.

The VA confirmed it will share "adverse findings" with other federal agencies but has not listed the specific recipients. The directive comes amid a broader push this year toward increased interagency data sharing for immigration enforcement, including previously announced plans to exchange information between federal departments and enforcement units.

Staff concerns include the privacy of the data collected, potential impacts on workforce morale and recruitment, and the practical effect on patient care if clinicians or essential personnel are removed or discouraged from working at VA facilities. The VA maintains that legally present non‑citizens have nothing to fear, while critics urge greater clarity on what data will be collected, how it will be protected, and which agencies will receive it.