The deportation of USA of Jose Barco by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICEfor its acronym in English). The expulsion of Army veteran, wounded in Iraq and awarded a Purple Heart, once again exposed a dilemma that has persisted for years: what happens when a immigrant who served the country American faces removal proceedings after serving a criminal sentence.
A decorated veteran who ended up in ICE custody because of his immigrant background
Table of Contents
- A decorated veteran who ended up in ICE custody because of his immigrant background
- The deportation of a Purple Heart veteran to Mexico: the official version of DHS and ICE
- Deported veteran: criticism from experts and migrant advocates in the US
- Deportation of veterans: an immigration conflict in the United States
Barco, who came to the United States from Venezuela as a political refugee when he was just a four-year-old child, He enlisted in the Army at 17 and completed two tours in Iraq.
His team explained that he was recognized with a Purple Heart after lift a burning vehicle to rescue two soldiersaction for which he suffered severe burns and a traumatic brain injury. After that, he was honorably discharged in 2008, according to The Washington Post.
That same year, when his second request for naturalization was being processed (the first had been lost, according to an Army officer cited in a court filing), Barco fired a gun outside a party, wounding a pregnant woman.
The conviction for attempted murder came the following year. After serving 15 years in prison, he was paroled in Colorado in January and immediately detained by ICE agents upon his release. to start the process of deportation under federal law which allows non-citizens convicted of crimes to withdraw legal residence.
The deportation of a Purple Heart veteran to Mexico: the official version of DHS and ICE
On Friday, November 14, his attorney, Kevin T. O’Connor Jr., confirmed that Barco was deported from a detention center in Arizona and transferred to Nogales, Mexico.
“No additional information has been provided regarding his whereabouts or custody situation following expulsion.”he stated in an email sent to the aforementioned media.
He also noted that his team is “evaluating all legally available avenues for future action”.
An ICE spokesperson explained that Barco was removed after serving a sentence for “a conviction for attempted murder and serious threat with a real or simulated weapon”while Tricia McLaughlin, spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), He called the veteran a “heinous criminal.”
Its defenders maintain that, Once released, he was “ready to begin rebuilding his life with his family”but instead he passed through at least six detention centers.
In March he was even sent on a flight to Venezuela via Hondurasalthough the Venezuelan authorities refused to receive him, considering that his birth certificate was not authentic.
Deported veteran: criticism from experts and migrant advocates in the US
The reaction from veterans support organizations was immediate. Ricardo Reyes, CEO of VetsForward, He was “outraged” by the expulsion and described it as “a national shame”. He stated, in dialogue with 12 Newsthat Barco was deported at 4:00 am and that his family was not immediately notified.
The specialists who follow his case emphasize that Barco suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and was dealing with the aftermath of his brain injury. without having received sufficient support after returning to civilian life. They also insist that his naturalization process was underway when the crime for which he was convicted occurred.
Meanwhile, Scott Mechkowski, with 30 years in the Army and 22 in the ICE deportation area, stated that it was a “catastrophic failure,” given that Barco had applied for citizenship before committing the crime and his process did not progress.
Deportation of veterans: an immigration conflict in the United States
The case falls within a context of fluctuating immigration policies. In 2022, the administration Biden issued a directive to make it more difficult to deport non-citizen veterans.
However, the current government of Donald Trump promoted a strong tightening: requested local authorities for lists of foreign prisoners, included crimes and release datessought to expand the capacity of detention centers and defined as “top priority” the removal of “criminal illegal aliens.”
