By: Daniel Nardini

It just shows me yet again how broken the immigration system is. A one-time U.S. Army paratrooper, Hector Barajas, was jailed and then deported to Mexico. He was busted on the possession of an illegal weapon. Even though he was in the U.S. military from 1995 to 2001, none of this seemed to matter when U.S. immigration deported him. Of course, those who commit heinous crimes like rape, murder, arson and mutilation should be given no clemency no matter who they are. But those who commit things like writing bad checks (how many of us have not done this recently?!) or who are guilty of petty theft are not only jailed but deported if they were born outside the United States. The truly sad thing is that when they signed up to join the U.S. military, they have automatically put their lives into the service of the United States and on the front lines of a war. When they took the oath of allegiance to the United States, they should be entitled to U.S. citizenship (sadly they are not) and veterans’ benefits (which they are not entitled to either it seems).

Barajas, along with another deported U.S. Army paratrooper named Fabian Rebolledo, has formed the Deported Veterans Support Home for those U.S. veterans who have been deported to Mexico. Barajas estimates that 12,000 people who served in the U.S. military have been deported back to Mexico. If true, this is a very large number, and I have to ask what percentage were deported for crimes that can be described as misdemeanors? Again, as I have emphasized before, we should not be deporting immigrants for misdemeanor crimes. Those who have served in the U.S. military should definitely not be deported for such crimes. Although the U.S. government does not care what happens to those former U.S. veterans who have been deported, many are struggling to live. Many of them have no family, no friends and most certainly no support from the Mexican government. Most of their families are in the United States. Hence, why Deported Veterans Support Home was formed. Still, this is not adequate for the number of those who have been deported.

There are other veterans who are facing deportation even though they have fought and nearly died for their country. The case of Christian Castro is one example. Born and raised in El Salvador, Castro fought with distinction in Iraq. By presidential executive order, no soldier who has served in combat can be deported. But, this is not stopping the U.S. government from trying to deport Castro, take away his veteran’s benefits, and leave his family destitute. After all these people have done, and after putting their lives on the line for the United States, you would think that the government could cut them some slack for minor crimes. Yes, if they have committed crimes they as well as anyone else should be punished with jail and fines. Deportation and taking away their benefits is cruel and barbaric. Personally, I wish we could do the same with the politicians in Washington, D.C.