Panetta introduces bills to aid asylum seekers, homeless veterans

A bill introduced last week by Congressman Jimmy Panetta would enable judges to forgive missed court dates by those who are seeking asylum, making it easier for them to avoid deportation.

The "Providing Justice for Asylum Seekers Act" would give immigration judges greater discretion to decide whether non-citizens seeking asylum who miss court dates should have them rescheduled.

The bill would also make it possible for a judge to reopen a case if an immigration judge "wrongly" issued a deportation order because an individual didn't show up in court.

"My legislation ensures that asylum seekers will get their day in court, and that immigration judges have discretion when providing justice," Panetta said.

The current law requires immigration judges to issue deportation orders for asylum seekers if they fail to appear for a court date. "This mandatory requirement applies even when the immigration judge knows there are extraordinary circumstances preventing the individual from appearing in court," reads a press release from Panetta's office.

This week, Panetta — along with a bipartisan group of representatives — also introduced a bill that would make it easier for homeless veterans to have access to legal services.

The "Legal Services for Homeless Veterans Act" would direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make grants available to groups which offer help to homeless veterans and those at risk of becoming homeless.

"While serving as a prosecutor and as a board member for the Veterans Transition Center of Monterey County, I encountered many veterans who had certain legal issues that brought them to the brink or pushed them into homelessness," Panetta said. "This legislation provides those veterans, and supportive and surrounding organizations, with the resources necessary to help our veterans resolve these legal issues and get back on their feet so that they can get back to being an integral part of our community and country."