Answer to Juan Valdez whats up bro, just wanted to ask you if anyone has gotten to ACLU on this issue? 11 minutes ago Let me show u the letter I sent , we were mentioned in the Judiciary Committe and then they included us in the Immigration Reform cool, I was just wondering cuz I read some articles about them, and I had never tried to reach them, so I was considering sending them a lettter March 13, 2013 To Whom It May Concern: We are writing to express our grave concerns regarding the deportation of veterans who have served in the United States military, and to ask you to support restoring judicial discretion in cases where noncitizens are convicted of crimes. We believe that thousands of veterans have been permanently deported from the United States, and have been separated from their American family members, because the law does not currently allow for discretion in many cases. Each year, approximately 8,000 noncitizens enlist in the United States military. As of February 2008, more than 65,000 immigrants were serving on active duty in the United States. Noncitizen service members constitute an important part of our military. They play important roles in American families and communities, yet they are regularly deported. Headquartered in Mexico, Banished Veterans is an organization that offers support and advocacy to veterans of the American military who are facing deportation or have been deported. Although ICE recently indicated that the United States government does not track how many veterans of its armed services have been deported, we estimate that number to be in the tens of thousands. Banished Veterans has specifically identified over one hundred deported veterans by word of mouth alone. Most of the deported service men Banished Veterans tracks moved to the United States as children and identified so strongly as Americans that they enlisted in the military to serve their adopted country. They are veterans of the Viet Nam war, the Gulf war, Iraq, Afghanistan, and countless other conflicts. Although they were born in countries around the world, these men thought they were Americans. Many risked their lives alongside their American citizen counterparts, never imagining that the country they fought for would eventually banish them from its borders. Many have been deported permanently because they have been convicted of crimes categorized as “aggravated felonies” under the law. However, many of their convictions are misdemeanors, or are otherwise nonviolent convictions. For example, Fabian Rebolledo, who honorably served in the Kosovo conflict, was permanently deported from the United States due to a conviction for check fraud in the amount of $750. He is now separated from his 12-year-old American citizen son who cries on the phone, asking his father to “come home.” The criminal convictions that triggered their deportation are often related to mental health issues veterans suffer as a result of their service. Hector Barrios-Reyes, who served in Vietnam, explains, “I was injured in combat. I saw many fellow soldiers injured...It changes everything. I came back crazy.” He was deported years later for transporting marijuana in a vehicle. His children are all American citizens and live in the United States, while Mr. Barrios lives alone in Tijuana, Mexico. Whereas US citizen veterans may participate in drug treatment or rehabilitative mental health programs if they are convicted of crimes, noncitizen veterans often face permanent deportation from the country. Many veterans have permanently deported from the United States as a result of nonviolent drug convictions. Louie Alvarez, who lived in California since he was four years old, enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam war when he was seventeen. He developed a drug addiction after he left the service and got into trouble with the law. After serving a sixteen month prison sentence for possession of a controlled substance in 2007, Mr. Alvarez was transferred to the custody of the Department of Homeland Security. He was released on bond more than one year later, and he is currently facing deportation. Veterans who are deported are often separated from their American citizen family members in the United States. Many have left behind American citizen children who suffer as a result of their separation from their parent. Hector Barajas, the founder of Banished Veterans, has a seven-year-old daughter who he tries to maintain contact with over video chats on the internet every evening. She comes to visit him in Mexico, but it is not the same as growing up with her father. Her mother has been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, and Mr. Barajas worries about who will take care of his daughter when her mother no longer can. Recent studies indicate that children whose parents are deported suffer from a range of mental health issues as a result of their separation; many children of veterans are suffering because of their parent’s deportation. When Americans leave the United States in order keep their families together after the deportation of a family member, they also suffer. Giovanni Gaez, who moved to the United States when he was thirteen, was deported due to a criminal conviction years after he was honorably discharged from the military. His wife and two children, all of whom are American, moved to Panama to be with him. He explains, “when I was deported, ICE also deported three Americans.” He reports that his wife and children are “trying to adjust to this new life,” but they miss their country. Most of these veterans pose no ongoing public safety risk to the United States. Many of their convictions occurred ten or twenty years ago, and they have led law-abiding lives in recent years. Ironically, their deportation may actually pose threats to national security. Veterans in Mexico, for example, report being recruited by drug cartels anxious to learn about American military tactics. Once deported, veterans face difficult conditions in countries they are, in many respects, foreign to them. As Gulf War veteran Howard Dean Bailey, who was deported to Jamaica, explains, “I live in a country that I am not familiar with. I have no family members or friends here. I have to depend on money from other people to buy food. I have no home. I am scared for my safety in this country because people like me who are sent here are not treated fairly by the citizens or police. I miss my family -- my children especially. My heart breaks because my family was torn apart.” We urge you to consider the struggles of deported veterans – and their American citizen family members. Restoring the judicial discretion that was eliminated in the 1996 changes to immigration law is one concrete step that would allow for a more individualized consideration of cases where a veteran of the United States armed forces faces deportation. Thank you in advance for your consideration. Sincerely, Hector Barajas Board Member, Banished Veterans & Founder, Deported Veterans Support House 2500 Elizabeth Street Pueblo, CO 81003 (626) 569-5491 banishedveterans@yahoo March 19, 2013 Dear Members of the Committee: On behalf of Banished Veterans, I submit the enclosed letter for the record for the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Building an Immigration System Worthy of American Values taking place on Wednesday March 20, 2013. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Hector Barajas We were mentioned in the Senate Hearing by Senator Coonz . Senator Coonz and Kirk have introduced an ammendment to the INA as part of Immigration Reform but in only pertains to certain combat veteran with certain badges. Anyone is welcome to use the letter I will add is as an attachment. I wanted to thank Sirene Shebaya , and Beth Caldwell for assisting me in getting this letter done
Posted on: Wed, 03 Jul 2013 20:48:44 +0000
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