LIST AND STORIES OF VETERANS FACING DEPORTATION & DEPORTED VETERANS.
List of veterans facing deportation and deported veterans; Name,Brief Bio, Family Contact Info, Detention Facility,Service, If you would like to put money in their books or write to any detained veterans please contact us.(note some info is still pending)
CHRISTIAN CASTRO
Christian Castro, US Marine, who served 3 tours in Iraq, faces deportation to El Salvador, He is already deported but continues to fight his case, he has been diagnosed with PTSD , has multiple scars from shrapnel on his knee and part of his thumb blown off, He also has a heart condition , takes medication more than once a day .. woken up at 4 am , he has to walk a quarter mile to take his pills ,his regular medications can only be taken in Arizona , but he chooses not to take it due to being far away from his children, even knowing that he could have a stroke for not taking his regular medications.. doesn't matter if its raining or snowing, the med's are not brought to his barracks...the goverment he swore to defend is also trying to take his VA benefits from his family and and leave him stateless, he has multiple tours in Iraq, and still no relief to him and any veterans
Rohan Coombs; US Marine,Persian Gulf war Veteran,Jamaica
Rohan came to America with his mom and sisters from Jamaica when he was only 9 years old. Rohan graduated from high school in New York and promptly joined the military to serve the country he loved.
Rohan joined the marines in 1988 and was deployed to Iraq a few years later. While in the military Rohan filed for his citizenship but was told “You are property of the United States Government, that makes you a citizen”. No further action was taken on Rohan’s part because he wasn’t going to second guess his commanding officer.
It wasn’t until Rohan got out of the military with an honorable discharge that things started to go downhill for him. Rohan suffers from PTSD and was unable to recognize it. He started using marijuana to ease the suffering from what he saw in Iraq during combat. During this time his wife had passed away 4 days before Christmas. This was devastating to Rohan and like his PTSD he did not seek help with dealing with his wife’s death.
He has been told he was a citizen for saying the oath to the military and for being told he was property of the U.S. and that made him a citizen. Now the judge in his case is telling him he is not a citizen and that he should be deported back to a country he hasn’t been to in over 30 years.
This is a man who fought for our country….he didn’t even fight for a country where he was born. This is a man who unselfishly joined the military to serve a country he loved and now that country is turning its back on him. There is no justice right now for our veterans. There are over 30,000 who are facing this same dilemma. Please if you can help in any way!! Please help our veterans who fought for this country and suffer PTSD because of it.
Rohan joined the marines in 1988 and was deployed to Iraq a few years later. While in the military Rohan filed for his citizenship but was told “You are property of the United States Government, that makes you a citizen”. No further action was taken on Rohan’s part because he wasn’t going to second guess his commanding officer.
It wasn’t until Rohan got out of the military with an honorable discharge that things started to go downhill for him. Rohan suffers from PTSD and was unable to recognize it. He started using marijuana to ease the suffering from what he saw in Iraq during combat. During this time his wife had passed away 4 days before Christmas. This was devastating to Rohan and like his PTSD he did not seek help with dealing with his wife’s death.
He has been told he was a citizen for saying the oath to the military and for being told he was property of the U.S. and that made him a citizen. Now the judge in his case is telling him he is not a citizen and that he should be deported back to a country he hasn’t been to in over 30 years.
This is a man who fought for our country….he didn’t even fight for a country where he was born. This is a man who unselfishly joined the military to serve a country he loved and now that country is turning its back on him. There is no justice right now for our veterans. There are over 30,000 who are facing this same dilemma. Please if you can help in any way!! Please help our veterans who fought for this country and suffer PTSD because of it.
Robyn Sword/fiance,
raw92775@yahoo.com
714-454-5107
10251 Fern #359
Stanton Ca 90680
robynswordphotography@myspace.com
Robyn Sword on facebook
714-454-5107
10251 Fern #359
Stanton Ca 90680
robynswordphotography@myspace.com
Robyn Sword on facebook
Hector Barajas 82nd Airborn Spc.
A legal permanent resident. Served during Nov 95 thru Nov 2001. Received 2 honorable discharges. During his military career he received and 2 AAM´s , Army Achievement Medal, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense, Army Service Medal and Humanitarian Medal, He also served proudly with the 407th Golden Griffins C Co, ·307th FSB Renegades C Co., WBAMC, Shortly after his discharge from the military he got in trouble with the law, paid his debt to society, during his encarceration he received multiple diplomas and rehabilitation. Upon his release he had an immigration hold. He could not beleive his country would turn his back on him. He was chained and flown to Arizona by the US Marshall's. With no legal help and nobody to turn to. He represented himself and was eventually deported. in 2003, He fought his case for over 6 months, He used the argument that he was a US National and that he could not be deported because of his military oath and permanent allegiance to the United States. The judge told him he had to deport him, thanked him for his service. The judge also said if he was a combat veteran or served during war time he could not be deported, If Mr. Barajas had only known that after 9-11 the President put all the military in conflict status, he might have not been deported. Even still there have been many Combat veterans who keep getting deported.. The goverment said he wasnt a National or an American...Eventhough he wore the patch during his military career the double AA, All Americans 82nd Airborne, there was never a distinction of where he was born and where his heart was at...He still believes in this country and proudly states he is a US Veteran ...No matter where he goes as Fernando Cervantes put it.. I will always be a United States Veteran. During my unjust and unfair treatment in Mira Loma Detention Center there were over 5 veterans just in a 3 week period, before I got there, they announced over the intercom for all veterans to report to the recreation room, its obvious they are deporting veterans at an alarming rate.. as this is 1 facility of 350 in the US... please...help me and many veterans who are struggling with this issue...
Hector Barajas
US Army 82nd Abn
Deported..
Banishedveteran@yahoo.com
Loui Alvarez;US Marine, out on bail, Mexico
Dardar Paye,Liberia, US Army, Mr. Paye fled the civil war in his native Liberia in 1991, entering the United States when he was only thirteen years old. He became an LPR in 1996, and in 1998, he joined the U.S. Army, to serve and protect the country that he considers his own. As an armor crewman with the Army, Mr. Paye was deployed overseas twice: first, to Kuwait as part of Operation Desert Fox, and then again to Kosovo, as part of a NATO peacekeeping mission. By the time he was honorably discharged from the Army in 2001, Mr. Paye had earned several medals, including the Army Achievement Medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, and the Armed Forces Service Medal. After his discharge from the Army, he served a year-and-a-half with the New Jersey Army National Guard, before he was discharged under honorable conditions in 2002. In 2008, while serving a criminal sentence in federal prison on a weapons related offense, immigration authorities placed him in removal proceedings. He has since finished his criminal sentence and is currently being held in immigration detention at the York County Prison in York , PA. Mr. Paye is now fighting to stop his deportation to a country he barely remembers by the same country he honorably served
Craig R. Shagin/representing Mr Dadar
The Shagin Law Group LLC
The Inns of Saint Jude
120 South Street
Harrisburg, PA 17101
Tel. 717-221-1111
Fax.717-221-1110
The Shagin Law Group LLC
The Inns of Saint Jude
120 South Street
Harrisburg, PA 17101
Tel. 717-221-1111
Fax.717-221-1110
Orlando J. Castaneda; US Army, Brought to the United States from Mexico by his parents at the age of three, Castaneda grew up in America. As an adult, he joined the U.S. Army and spent 12 months fighting in Iraq. He was
Iraq War Veterans Face Deportation told that his military service would secure his application for citizenship. Then, only months after returning from Iraq, Castaneda received a deportation letter.
Iraq War Veterans Face Deportation told that his military service would secure his application for citizenship. Then, only months after returning from Iraq, Castaneda received a deportation letter.
Hicham Benkabbou; active-duty Arab sergeant in the US Army, here's a brief statement from Hicham Benkabbou........
"Finally, I am a proud and highly decorated and awarded Paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division, United States Army. I do not think I deserve to get deported after serving honorably during a time of war! I can read, write and speak Arabic, French and English. I have earned the utmost respect and confidence of my superiors and I shall be a great asset for our country if given the opportunity to become a United States citizen. Any help would be greatly appreciated."
Lawrence Williams; US Army Vietnam veteran. He was born in Guyana, lived in the United States for over 35-years and has three adult American children. To become a United States Citizen, Williams put his life on the line, signing a contract to join the U.S. Army to fight in the Vietnam War. However, the U.S. Army did not live up to its end of the contract—no one from Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), or the Guyana embassy cared to lifted one finger to take a hard look into this breach of contract whereby Williams, who is ailing and was receiving treatment, was deported to Guyana.
Karla Rivera;US Navy Immigration Officers have been ignoring the policy. Active duty military personnel have been placed into proceedings—or threatened with being placed into proceedings—for technical
violations of immigration law. To give one example, Navy sailor Karla Rivera was recently placed into removal proceedings because she failed to file Form I-751 to lift the conditions on her permanent residence—despite the fact that she is eligible for a waiver of the timely filing of the form, and despite having a pending citizenship application. It is unlikely that the United States Government will ever deport Karla—or that there would be any rational reason to deport Karla—but this sailor has had to attend removal proceedings on the other side of the country, at her own expense, despite having a pending citizenship application that will likely be approved. Not only is Karla’s time being wasted with this exercise, but the US taxpayers are paying for the time of immigration judges and DHS attorneys so that Karla can be forced to engage in a
Kafkaesque dance with the immigration bureaucracy. And she must take time away from
her Navy job to do so
She naturalized as a US citizen while in proceedings, was ably represented by a volunteer attorney from the American Immigration Lawyers Association Military Assistance Program, and is now a US citizen. So she hasn't been deported, and she is not a Banished Veteran. Rather, she is an example of someone who was able to earn her citizenship through military service with the help of a volunteer immigration attorney.
Phillipe Louis Jean; Marine Corporal, also faced the threat of deportation after serving in Iraq. Louis Jean had previously been court-martialed for adultery, but the minor infraction was not serious enough to prevent the Marine Corps from sending him to serve in Iraq. Upon his return, however, it was apparently serious enough to threaten him with deportation. Though his case was dismissed on a technicality, Louis Jean will never be able to attain citizenship because of that court-martial, regardless of his brave service to America.
Gabriel Delgadillo; fifty-two-year-old Vietnam veteran named Gabriel Delgadillo was deported for a crime he committed in 1988. The crime, burglary, was reclassified as a mandatory deportation offense under the 1996 law. Delgadillo left behind a wife and seven children, all U.S. citizens.
Ralph Hesselbach; US Army, enlisted in the U.S. Army in the summer of 1967, when he was seventeen years old, and fought in active combat in Vietnam. As a scout dog handler with the 33rd Scout Dog Platoon of the 4th Infantry Division, Specialist Hesselbach served as a permanent point man and led scouting missions to uncover mines, trip wires and intercept ambushes. In late 1968, he was severely injured and permanently disabled in an explosion at base camp. He was honorably discharged to medical retirement and was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, the Combat Infantry Badge, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal and the Good Conduct Medal. Hesselbach challenged the retroactive application of the 1996 law, but was ordered deported by an immigration judge. His service and sacrifice got him no consideration whatever.
<a href="http://www.libraryindex.com/pages/2472/Immigration-Illegal-Aliens-are-More-Blessing-than-Burden-STATEMENT-SENATOR-PATRICK-LEAHY-RANKING-MEMBER-SENATE-JUDICIARYCOMMITTEE-IMMIGRATION-SUBCOMMITTEEHEARING-ON-IMMIGRANT-CONTRIBUTIONSTO-U-S-ARMED-FORCES-MAY-26-1999.html">Immigration and Illegal Aliens are More a Blessing than a Burden - Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy,ranking Member, Senate Judiciarycommittee Immigration Subcommitteehearing On "immigrant Contributionsto The U.s. Armed Forces," May 26, 1999</a>
Read more: Immigration and Illegal Aliens are More a Blessing than a Burden - Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy,ranking Member, Senate Judiciarycommittee Immigration Subcommitteehearing On "immigrant Contributionsto The U.S. Armed Forces," May 26, 1999
Rafael Ramirez; US Army Dominican Republic, is a thirty-five-year-old New Yorker who emigrated from the Dominican Republic at the age of seven and who, nine years after his honorable discharge from the Army as a sergeant, faced deportation. His offense: in 1990, just months after leaving the Army, he pled guilty to possessing marijuana.
Read more: Immigration and Illegal Aliens are More a Blessing than a Burden - Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy,ranking Member, Senate Judiciarycommittee Immigration Subcommitteehearing On "immigrant Contributionsto The U.s. Armed Forces," May 26, 1999 http://www.libraryindex.com/pages/2472/Immigration-Illegal-Aliens-are-More-Blessing-than-Burden-STATEMENT-SENATOR-PATRICK-LEAHY-RANKING-MEMBER-SENATE-JUDICIARYCOMMITTEE-IMMIGRATION-SUBCOMMITTEEHEARING-ON-IMMIGRANT-CONTRIBUTIONSTO-U-S-ARMED-FORCES-MAY-26-1999.html#ixzz0Y5nojvSC
Warren Joseph; Persian Gulf War Veteran 1991, Trinidad, A veteran of the Persian Gulf war of 1991 who has been in custody for three years while United States immigration officials have tried to deport him has been granted a hearing to determine if he is being held legally.
The veteran, Warren Joseph, 40, has been detained by immigration officials since 2004 after serving six months in Fort Dix for violating his probation on a weapons charge.
The veteran, Warren Joseph, 40, has been detained by immigration officials since 2004 after serving six months in Fort Dix for violating his probation on a weapons charge.
Judge Jose L. Linares of Federal District Court here ruled Tuesday that Mr. Joseph — who has had permanent legal immigration status since moving to the United States from Trinidad in 1987 — was entitled to a hearing about whether he has been held too long in violation of his rights. The hearing is scheduled for June 19.
“This is very same country that I served, that I fought for, and called me an American while I was in the military,” Mr. Joseph said in a phone interview from the Hudson County Correctional Center in Kearny, N.J.
Referring to his long detention, he said, “For me, it is like a slap in the face. I love this country.”
Mr. Joseph has been fighting his case on two fronts. His lawyers have argued that the crime he committed is not a deportable offense. At the same time, they have said that Mr. Joseph should be set free.
Mr. Joseph came to the United States when he was 20 to join his mother. He was living in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn when he joined the Army in 1988, serving for eight years and fighting in Iraq, where he was injured during the war to oust Saddam Hussein’s forces from Kuwait. After receiving commendations and an honorable discharge in 1996, Mr. Joseph returned to Brooklyn, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, hearing loss, depression and other war-related ailments, his lawyers have said in court papers.
In 2001, he pleaded guilty in federal court to transporting or receiving firearms without a license after he bought guns for people to whom he owed money, said one of Mr. Joseph’s lawyers, Amrit Singh of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey. He was sentenced to four years of probation.
According to the court papers, Mr. Joseph was “suffering from partial paralysis and debilitating depression” in 2003 when he moved into his mother’s house without telling his probation officer, a violation of his probation. He was sentenced to six months in jail, and when he completed that sentence in 2004, Mr. Joseph was taken into custody by immigration officials, who are seeking to deport him on the firearms conviction.
Fabian Rebolledo; US Army 82nd Abn, Mexico, Kosovo combat veteran, currently being deported for check fraud, his son is torn while his father is being deported as well as his mother... His grandparents take care of him...Served with the 319nth Field Artillery 82ND Abn...
(note some information is still pending)
Fernando Cervantes; US Army Vietnam Era, Mexico. As a 7-year-old, Fernando Cervantes emigrated legally from Mexico to Texas with his mother in 1961. At 18, in the waning days of the Vietnam War, he enlisted in the Army. Cervantes donned the khaki uniform, raised his right hand and swore to defend the Constitution.
“I thought it was my patriotic duty,” he said.
Anslem Ifill, US Army, Gulf War Combat Veteran, Trinidad & Tabago, a native of Trinidad and legal US resident, served in the first Gulf War. He was diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD. After his service, he got in trouble with the law and spent a number of years in prison. His story is not that unusual because almost half of the Vietnam veterans with PTSD have been arrested or jailed. What is unusual is that after serving his time he was detained by the immigration service for an additional three years and finally told he was to be deported. Anslem Ifill has spent 25 years in the US and served this country by putting his life on the line.
Andrew Williams; US Navy, Combat Veteran Purple Heart Recipient, Belize served in the military 11yrs
Hector Lopez; US Army, Mexico
Mobile Number:
(559)479-5921 Majic Jack
Current Address:
Removed Due to Security reasons
Current Address:
Removed Due to Security reasons
AIM: DeportedVeteran
Raul Gorgoso; US Navy, Uruguay,
Rauls personal bio and message,
I moved to the US when I was 10 years old. It was my dads dream to live in the US. Joined the US Navy in 1985. I was lucky to serve on board the USS FORRESTAL CV-59 a ship with alot of history. While serving on board the USS Forrestal I received the Battle E Medal, Expedition Medal and 2 Cruise Medals. I was there when we had trouble with Lybia. Iraq and Iran dogging water mines. I was there for Desert storm. Not to mention the countless nights with no sleep because of the cold war. I left behind family and friends. 3 US born children in Virginia, I can't support them monetarily or emotionally. They were left with out a father.I joined the navy back in 1995 As told by the NAVY I was now a National of the U.S. served on board the USS Forrestal. Recipient of 2 Med cruises, battle-E and the Military expeditionary medal.
Victor Pardida; US Army, Mexico,
Currently detained in El Centro,
PFC Bonah; US Army, Ghanah Africa,
Currently deported to Ghana Africa
Ray Rendr; US Army, El Salvador,
Currently Deported to El Salvador
I came to the United States when I was 13 years old leaving my father behind so that I could live with my mother and my stepfather.
I soon started school I knew my stepfather had been in the military he had served in Vietnam with the Big Red One and as far as I can see military service was a must for him, the discipline in which he carried himself .and his life was something he was proud of Ernesto Sampson “wataca” he would do his best to try and get his kids and others to join the military services. I later on became friends with D. long a man I came to admire and respect am proud to say he became, not a father figure but a father to me after my father passed. D, long had served in Vietnam with the 173 infantry Airborne regiment a man of his caliber sure made an impression on me. A very quiet man never told me why he got the silver star, certain things are better left alone I recon, after I finished high school I went to the recruiting station and joined the army, I didn’t tell anybody until I knew it was effective, I went to D. longs office around noon to tell him I had joined the army I cant explain his look whether it was sadness or else, I had taken his mind somewhere to the past, but no doubt he was very proud of my decision. I went on to serve honorably in the ARMY for 3years, then I got out and joined the national guard and started college in Richmond Virginia my plan was to do R.O.T.C and come back to the ARMY as an officer but it unfortunately it did not work out that way. In 1999 I got in trouble with the law and did some time for a crime I didn’t feel guilty of. I got out of jail and I figure I put it all behind I complied with probation I did every kind of rehab program I could do. I started to put my life back together at this time. I was already having problems with my back due to a problem that went back to my army days I needed a lower back operation my disks L1 and L5 were herniated beyond repair I couldn’t walk anymore, I had the operation and was monitored rigorously by McGuire medical center in Richmond Virginia. Since the operation in 2003 I was being treated for chronic pain with physical therapies and medications. And was told by my doctor I would need a fusion on my back in the future. In 2007 I acquired my first home on the VA loan nice house in the outskirts of the city. All this changed on Jan 19, 2008. early in the morning agents from ICE came to my house to take me under custody stating that I was deportable because of my felony, I opted to see the judge but the judge didn’t care I was a veteran and that I had reintegrated to society without any problems he deported me stating I can never come back to the UNITED STATES he was very vindictive.
I arrived in el Salvador almost 2 years ago, demoralized, with no clothes, no medications, medications that were denied to me as soon as I was detained, and no money and a place to go, when I was able to notify my family in the U.S. that I was in el Salvador they sent me a little money (western union) but since I didn’t have the proper Salvadorian identification I could not retrieve it, I stayed in parks I was depressed, suicidal, homesick, I have gone trough so much since I arrived here, being here is not easy for me I don’t have a job there is nothing here its hard to make it trough. one day I decided to go to the cyber café to do some research this is how I was able to find out about BANISHED VETERANS I knew I was not alone there is others going through the same thing as me. I was disrespected and mocked by ice federal officers because I was a veteran. And things were worse by their subcontractors or jailers (dinacorp) and how I was thrown in solitary confinement 24/7 because I didn’t want to sing up my deportation papers it is sad, a man has to lose his freedom, dignity and his way of life.
Raj Persad US Army, Trinidad ,
Had work authorization documents from DHS, was granted voluntary departure under 240BINA and not removed under 212/237INA for overstay on a non immigrant visa.
US Army Honorable discharged: 1993-1996
National Guard/Active Duty Honorable Discharge: 2002-2004
Oklahoma Police Officer: 2000-2003
Granted Voluntary departure in 2004 and departed the US as authorized.
Was not deported or removed.
Department of Homeland Security give Social Security Administration False information that I was deported from the US on May-2005 and nothing is being done to the DHS employees who did this false thing.
His SSA benefits were suspended because of the information given by DHS to SSA.
Salomon Loayza US Navy,
Lived in the USA for 30 years, served in the US Navy for over 8 years, was educated at a US University, Was a pillar of his community; had an impeccable record other than the case explained below, has a US born son that he is trying to put through College, He turned 23 Y.O. this past October 2nd.
He was deported to the country of his birth April 2000.
While he was in prison. He applied for citizenship based on his honorable military service in the USN; where he explained everything that had happened, concerning his charges. The Norfolk - Virginia Naturalization Office set a date for his finger prints and communicated it to him while he was in custody, but the INS didn’t allow him to go nor allowed him to have the finger prints taking at the facility that he was confined to. Because of a lack of money, He filed his own appeals in the whole deportation process, was sent from Virginia to Oakdale, La., and finally was deported in 2000, but no before personally appealing his case to the 4th Cir. in Virginia.
He checked about his citizenship application in 2003 and the INS department told me that him it had been pending till 2002.
He filed a FOIA application almost 4 years ago to find out what is in his record and everything else but has not received any response yet.
His idea was to find out what exactly happened and based on that to take steps to possible return to help his son that is having a hard time in general (He has been trying to father his son through the phone all these years. He just turned 23 Y.O. and he has paid for his college tuition, Etc
He has read the requirements needed by war veterans to become citizens and it says that we (Vietnam Era Veterans) don’t need to be present in the USA to file for citizenship, Etc. Last year he believes a law was passed relating to citizenship for Philippine Civilians that helped USA during World War II and they don’t have to be present in USA to file for citizenship, Etc.
He also read about a law that after 10 years of being deported one can apply for a waiver to return but is not sure of the details.
He needs help me or needs contacts at the USA Embassy in Quito to how he could go about filling for Naturalization
Rudi Richardson;US Army, Germany
Rudi Richardson" I am also a US Veteran who was deported in August of 2003 after living in the United States for 45 years. Please see article http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,651989,00.html. Now I am Founder of a Homeless Charity in London: www.streetlytes.org. I take responsibility for my actions, but nonetheless I paid my dues. I have tried to resolve my regrets and have made tremendous strides in my recovery and inner healing, however, my pain of deportation from a country of which I honourably served still resides in me. I am grateful for people such as yourself to bring this issue to light. Sincerely, Rudi Richardson, Founder & CEO of Streetlytes-UK."
Gerardo E. Lopez Flores; US Navy Veteran, Mexico, Operation Souther Watch
Stationed in North Island 1995-1998 and on Appellant Leave thru 2001, He was in Aviation Ordinance for Squadron US 35, Dsicharged with an OTH, Also has Medical problems related to his service in the military, He currently makes his living by detailing cars, Running a mobile buisness out of his car, His mother has passed away and he has no family support, He sated having US born children and not able to see them ..
Augustin Garcia; US Navy, Mexico, Vietnam veteran
My name is Eduardo Agustin Garcia, in September of 1974 I enlisted into the US Navy. I was stationed aboard a helicopter carrier, USS New Orleans LPH 11, I was also aboard the USS Midway and participated in the evacuation of Saigon, Operation Frequent Wind. Many of the evacuee’s were Vietnamese citizens.. that if not evacuated surely would have been executed or faced retribution by the north Vietnamese government. I felt proud to have served in the US military and consider myself an American. I completed my 4 years in active duty as an ABH3 as a petty officer 3rd class. My duties consisted of aircraft handling, launching & recovery ensuring the pilots safety also before being a petty officer I was assigned to crash and salvage on the flight deck. I was honorably discharged October of 1978, a few years after my navy career I had run-ins with the law. I faced my first deportation in 1992 due to a drug conviction, but due to my military service I was exempt from deportation due to a federal law. Which stated that any legal alien that served in the us armed forces for a year or more and is honorably discharged is exempt from deportation. Before this arrest I applied to become a US citizen. Due to miscommunication, I was never informed of when I was to take the oath to become a US citizen. For I was already guaranteed my citizenship thru my military service. In 1996 I picked up another drug charge and was sentenced to state prison, completing my sentence I was turned over to INS for deportation hearings. At the hearing I was informed by the INS judge that the law that prohibited honorably discharged vets from being deported was no longer valid. Due to this new law that the Clinton administration implemented I was therefore deported and deprived of my country which I consider be the United States of America, my home. Besides being thrown in to a country which I had no idea of how to survive in, I was also deprived of being with my family. I have been in this country (Mexico) for more than 11 years now. I have missed out on seeing my kids grow up, on their graduation, their marriages, seeing my grandson born, and mostly being with them, the only family that I have. I feel that I am still being punished for a crime that I have already paid my debt to society. I feel that since I was able to put my life on the line for the United States of America as a Vietnam Vet that I should be given a pardon and allowed to return to the United States, and also any other Vets that have been honorably discharged should be given the same consideration. Since my deportation I have gone though many hardships but never lost hope that one day I will be allowed to return home. The first year after being deported I was confronted by people whom I consider were part of some type of organized crime and was asked if I wanted to work for them selling drugs. I told them that I was not interested for that chapter in my life was done and over with. That I want to start living a clean and honest life, no mater how hard it is going to be for me. Since my deportation I have gone though many hardships and poverty. Right now I live in a house that I am slowly conditioning to be considered a worthy place to live in for right now I have no running water, my roof leaks, I have no windows, and I recently had electricity installed. I live in these conditions not because I want to but because that is all I can afford. I work in construction and because of the economy I sometimes barely make enough just to eat. When I lived in the United States I lived comfortably, had work, and I have never faced the situations that I am facing right now. Every day I pray that things will change for me, and be able where I am supposed to be.
Oscar Sanchez; US Marine, Mexico, My name is Oscar Sanchez I am a Vetaran of the United States Marine Corps, and on April 13Th, I was deported to Mexico, a country that I had not been in since I was five years old.
I joined the Marine Corps on June 11, 2001. I had many reasons for joining. My main reason was that I had lived in the United States since the age of 6 and I considered the United States my home. I was educated and raised in Los Angeles, CA. My recruiter promised me that by joining I would become a cityzen of the United States. My next reason for joining the military was that I felt that I wanted to do something meaningfull with my life.
Joining the Marines was the best thing that I had done. My MOS was supplosed to be 6212, and I was going to school to become an AB 8B Harrier powerplant mechanic. I was doing extremely well in shool and I was enjoing my service very much. When I was administratevely separated I had problems readjusting to society, because through out my service and even before I joined I was told over and over phrases like ''Once a Marine always a Marine'', and ''Semper Fidelis'' which means forever faithfull. Eventually I tried to do somthing of myself so I enrolled in college. I was attending Redstone College of Aviation Technology. I wanted to get federal accreditation to be able to work on comercial and private aircraft. I was a distinguised student, I had a 98.9% average however with the high costs of higher education I was forced to drop out. In time, I started to hang out with the wrong people,get in trouble, and I stated to do drugs.
On April of 2008 I was sentenced to a term in state prison for a theft charge. I took a plea bargain for 16 months, the public defender did not advise me of the immigration consecuences that came with the plea bargain. If I would have known I would have taken my case to trial because when I was arrested the detective told me that he would try to reduce my charge to a mistemeanor..
So I did my time. I thought allot about what I was doing, I am remorseful for what I have done. When I parolled on Dec. 23, 2008 I was taken in to the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The immigration judge told me that ''there are no laws in place to protect US Veterans from being deported''. I fought my case for over 15 months.
Today I am living in Mexico in the city of Rosarito. I found that I am not alone. I found out that there are about six or seven other veterans in this city alone, some are highly decorated combat veterans. We are sticking together and helping each other out. Each of us has the hope that one day legislature will pass that will allow us to return to the country that we swore to protect and serve.
