US Senator Adam Schiff has expressed outrage over the Veterans Affairs (VA) department's data collection on its non-citizen workforce, labeling it as a "thinly veiled effort to instill fear" aimed at immigration enforcement.
In a letter sent Wednesday, Schiff claimed that the VA's request for non-citizen data could be used to target employees and those affiliated with the agency for deportation, wasting critical time and resources from already stretched-thin personnel. The data gathering reportedly aims to include people who work as contractors, medical students, and even volunteers.
The concern arises as the VA employs over 450,000 staff members and collaborates closely with most major medical schools. The collection of such a vast amount of information raises questions about why it's only targeting non-citizens for review.
This comes at a time when veteran advocates and lawmakers are already pushing back against the initiative, citing potential misuse of data to instill fear among VA personnel. In December last year, over 50 members of Congress led by Illinois representative Delia Ramirez sent a detailed inquiry to VA Secretary Douglas Collins asking for access to relevant records.
In response to the concerns, Collins defended his administration's actions, stating that the workforce review is simply a compliance exercise and does not alter veterans' eligibility for care or benefits. However, he failed to provide clear answers on why only non-citizens are being targeted.
Schiff has expressed frustration over the VA's lack of transparency, particularly in light of the agency's struggles with staffing issues, which have worsened under the current administration. The VA has already struggled to retain medical staff since the beginning of the year and lost thousands of "core" personnel.
The controversy highlights concerns about the misuse of data by government agencies and the need for more open communication among lawmakers and officials.
In a letter sent Wednesday, Schiff claimed that the VA's request for non-citizen data could be used to target employees and those affiliated with the agency for deportation, wasting critical time and resources from already stretched-thin personnel. The data gathering reportedly aims to include people who work as contractors, medical students, and even volunteers.
The concern arises as the VA employs over 450,000 staff members and collaborates closely with most major medical schools. The collection of such a vast amount of information raises questions about why it's only targeting non-citizens for review.
This comes at a time when veteran advocates and lawmakers are already pushing back against the initiative, citing potential misuse of data to instill fear among VA personnel. In December last year, over 50 members of Congress led by Illinois representative Delia Ramirez sent a detailed inquiry to VA Secretary Douglas Collins asking for access to relevant records.
In response to the concerns, Collins defended his administration's actions, stating that the workforce review is simply a compliance exercise and does not alter veterans' eligibility for care or benefits. However, he failed to provide clear answers on why only non-citizens are being targeted.
Schiff has expressed frustration over the VA's lack of transparency, particularly in light of the agency's struggles with staffing issues, which have worsened under the current administration. The VA has already struggled to retain medical staff since the beginning of the year and lost thousands of "core" personnel.
The controversy highlights concerns about the misuse of data by government agencies and the need for more open communication among lawmakers and officials.
like why are they only targeting non-citizens?? shouldn't everyone be safe from deportation? 
i get it that there are people who don't even work for the va but they're still human beings and deserve respect 
i'm with sen schiff on this one, we need more transparency in our government agencies and less fear-mongering 
I'm not sure why they need all this info on contractors, medical students, and volunteers 
And what's up with only targeting non-citizens? Are they worried that the rest of us might actually know how to do our jobs 
I think the VA should be more transparent about this, especially considering all the staffing issues they're dealing with 
... How can we trust an org like VA to collect so much personal info from non-citizen workers without clear reasons? It just don't sit right with me 
We need transparency, not more red tape 
... This is just a perfect example of why we need more open comms between lawmakers & officials 
. Can't we just have some peace of mind that our data's safe? 
, and schiff is right to call it out as a thinly veiled attempt at instilling fear among employees. 450k staff members is already a lot, adding more red tape just seems counterproductive 
. what if some random contractor or volunteer gets flagged for deportation just because they're not a US citizen? that's gotta be a major turn-off for people interested in working with the VA 
. The VA's data collection is like something straight out of a sci-fi movie – they're collecting info on non-citizens and contractors alike... what's the real purpose here? 
I mean, if they're gonna do it, let's at least make sure we know why they're doing it, right? 
. We need more accountability from the VA and lawmakers alike 
. This whole thing reeks of potential misuse of power 
️
That would be super unfair. 
The VA says it's just a compliance exercise, but why not check all employees, including citizens, to make sure everyone is doing the right thing? 
adam schiff is all upset about it, saying its a bad idea that could make ppl scared to work there. 
like weve seen before with stuff like this. maybe the VA should just focus on fixing its staffing issues instead of worrying about compliance? 
? The VA's got a lot on their plate, and collecting some data ain't gonna break them 
. But seriously, why is it so suspicious that they're only targeting non-citizens for this data collection? Is it really just about "compliance" or could there be more to it? 
. And can we trust VA Secretary Collins' claims when he won't even give clear answers? Not so fast, dude! 
I'll keep digging and see where this rabbit hole leads 
.