Zamone Perez, reporter, Maryland News Connection, a bureau of Public News Service.
“Deported veterans” may sound like an oxymoron. But it is not, and those veterans are working to get pardons in the last days of President Joe Biden’s term.
Around the country, 94,000 veterans do not have citizenship, So if they violate certain laws, they are at risk of deportation regardless of their service record.
Laura Meza Alvarado, a formerly deported veteran living in Maryland on humanitarian parole, is part of a program to allow deported veterans to enter the U.S. to access Department of Veterans Affairs health care.
Meza was brought to the U.S. from Costa Rica in 1985 by her parents. She enlisted in the Army at 23 years old but did not receive her citizenship. She said there was a lot of confusion around her immigration status.
“The recruiter had mentioned some different things,” Meza recounted. “They made promises like, ‘Oh well, you know, when you go into the military, if you go to combat, you’re going to be an automatic citizen.’ So you hear different things from people, and it’s just maybe a tactic to get you to enlist.”
Citizenship for some enlistees
Any green card holder enlisting in the military can file paperwork to become a citizen on their first day at boot camp. Meza pointed out that confusion, in addition to dealing with military sexual trauma and PTSD while in the service, meant she left the service without her citizenship.
Meza then began using drugs and alcohol to cope with the trauma she experienced. She eventually was convicted of attempted robbery and was deported after serving two years in prison.
Danitza James, president of Repatriate Our Patriots, argued that she should have already been a citizen by the time Meza had committed a crime.
“That conviction, for her, bars her from applying for U.S. citizenship,” James stressed. “Despite her honorable combat service, she’s not eligible to obtain or seek naturalization, something that should have happened while she was in service.”
Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, Meza is barred from applying for citizenship because of the charge.
Deported veterans such as Meza are running up against the clock. President-elect Donald Trump campaigned this year on a promise of mass deportations. James noted Meza and deported veterans like her would be at risk under such policies. She argued Biden must honor his commitment to veterans.
“President Biden, this is something that you must honor, and these are the same veterans that fought alongside his son,” James urged. “We owe it to them to act. It’s a shame that we are good enough to serve and die for this country but not good enough to live and get a second chance in this country.”
In July 2021, the Departments of Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs created the Immigrant Military Members and Veterans Initiative. At the end of 2023, more than 90 veterans had reentered the U.S. through the program.
