Deporting Veterans: Non-citizen former soldiers being forced out despite service
October 10th, 2010 | Published in Military News | 3 Comments
Written by Joshua Patton
One of the most underrated strengths of the American military is that it is an all-volunteer force. There are arguments to be made that this is a good-thing or a bad-thing, but from my own experiences it is intrinsic to the effectiveness of our war machine. Many of these volunteers are non-citizens; a 2008 report by the Migration Policy Institute indicated that as many as 7% of all active duty personnel might be non-citizens, but other reports have the number at around 3%. And thanks to the Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1952 military veterans who serve one-year during peacetime or one day in combat are eligible for a fast-tracked citizenship application. The immigration reform of 1965 overturned many provisions of this bill, and in 2002 President George W. Bush issued an executive order to apply these laws of wartime retroactive to September 11, 2001.
After the attacks of 9/11 many non-citizens joined the throngs of patriotic Americas that enlisted in the military. Some of them are immigrants that are in the country illegally, applying with the assumed names of family or friends. This tradition goes beyond the current conflicts and remains historically consistent, going back as far as The Civil War (although it might be argued that the Revolutionary War was fought solely by non-citizens or, at least, immigrants). Despite the proud tradition of immigrants within the military, immigration – especially illegal immigration – is perhaps one of the top political MacGuffins that drive voters into a frenzy. The fiery nature of the rhetoric may make for good cable news and campaign ads, but there is a real human cost to it and it is currently affecting thousands of veterans.
Manuel and Valente Valenzuela served in the Marine Corps and the Army, respectively, and are the sons of an American mother and Naturalized father, but born in Mexico. When their family repatriated, they now believe that there was an administrative mix-up and the two children were not granted their legal citizenship. They are currently in-between hearings where they face deportation, despite being highly decorated veterans. However, the Valenzuela brothers, with the help of the folks at BanishedVeterans.info, have received media attention, furthered by internet exposure and social networking sites such as Facebook. They are not the only ones either. One of the loudest voices of this movement is Hector Barajas , a two-time veteran of the 82nd Airborne and currently deported to Rosario, Mexico. They are calling for justice not just for themselves, but all of the other veterans that find themselves being excommunicated from the country they defended.
At the heart of the matter, however, is crime. These veterans are typically accused of a crime, some decades ago, but because of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 they now face immediate deportation. What was once only implemented for offenses that resulted in five or more years of jail time, can now be triggered even for minor offenses such as misdemeanors. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), an advocate for immigrants’ rights, introduced legislation named after Lance Corporal Jose Gutierrez, one of the first 10 non-citizens to die in Iraq, to protect veterans from deportation. The bill never left committee and with immigration reform a political hot-button, many fear that there will be no action on this issue.
President Obama said this, “When your tour ends, when you touch our soil, you will be home in America that is forever here for you, just as you’ve been there for us. That is my promise.” It’s a promise worth-keeping.
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Comments
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October 17th, 2010 at 4:53 pm (#)
Many recruiters guarantee non-citizens legal status if they sign up and serve. If this isn’t being honored, then the military is guilty of fraud.
November 25th, 2010 at 12:47 pm (#)
We brothers : Valente & Manuel Valenzuela been fighting this ordeal for two years now. What has being done is nothing ,in the White House side it’s a shame. Another Happy Thankgiving that our Banished Veterans go without having a dinner with there families. This I tell you , we as Vietnam Veterans are mad that this is happing to all of us again, this time the Gov is throwing the bags of urine papers at us. After we did our honor of protecting their mistakes.This I do tell You this Case is going all the way to the top , The Comander and Chief of the Military of this nation is going to be held liable, for the actions of Homeland Secuity , This is VETERANS we are talking about
December 20th, 2010 at 8:47 pm (#)
i was honorably separated after sept 11 and later deported for overstaying my student visa and working without authorization…….talk about national security when some websites out of the country are recruiting former u.s military servicemen for big bucks…you wonder what for..SO WHEN DOES YOUR OATH OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE U.S END???? after deportation,,I guess..