Posted on 06/04/2017 3:20:46 PM PDT by BBell
TIJUANA, MEXICO — Rep. Juan Vargas, a California Democrat whose district runs the length of the state’s border with Mexico, introduced a set of bills last fall aimed at helping U.S. military veterans who were deported after they were convicted of crimes. The bills stalled, casualties of what he called bad timing during the presidential campaign.
Vargas reintroduced the bills last week, because now he sees “a real opportunity.” He and six other Democratic members of Congress spent Saturday in this Mexican border town visiting deported veterans to press the issue, thinking that President Trump might be receptive to the argument that they are veterans first and deportees second.
These veterans, who agreed to serve in the U.S. military in exchange for a chance at U.S. citizenship, sit at the intersection of an issue with broad bipartisan interest — the treatment of those who fought for the nation — and immigration, an issue that resonates with the Democratic base.
“Hopefully someone in the administration, this time, will say, ‘We’re doing such a horrible job. The world hates us now. This is something we can do that’s positive,” Vargas said in an interview, noting that the administration has been mired in bad news and that the previous White House failed to take up the issue. “It’s a good opportunity for them to do something unambiguously positive: to help veterans.”
Vargas and his delegation brought their message Saturday to the Deported Veterans Support House in northern Tijuana. Here, they met with veterans who served but then had problems before they obtained full citizenship, finding themselves ejected from the United States after running afoul of the law.
Hector Barajas, who is leading an effort to get his peers back into the United States, made his case in front of the delegation and reporters. Barajas was deported
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Quite right.
Agreed. Others here are on left field.
We are not a colony, we are a nation of laws. How it is possible for a non-citizen to serve in combat is a matter for Congress to reconcile, but if it were up to me, no -citizens should not even wear the uniform.
Being here is not enough. Wearing the uniform - after having broken laws to get here - is certainly no excuse for amnesty as a result of a broken induction system, likely borne of liberal forces in the military...
If the Post wasn’t trying to mislead the headline would read: “They served in the U.S. military and hoped for citizenship. Then they committed crimes and got deported.”
I appreciate when people serve in the military. But some people in the military unfortunately are still criminals, and we do not need more imported criminals. We have enough home-grown ones. Thank you. I 100% support their deportation and anyone else with a criminal record who is here illegally (or legally but still not a citizen for that matter).
We dont disagree but they broke criminal law,not mmigration law, AFTER they served a n d STILL had not applied for citizenship.
Yup. If they didn’t get it while they were in, they blew it.
They did have the chance, if they didn’t fill out the paperwork while they had the opportunity, it is THEIR fault, not ours,
In 66-67 I served with many non-citizens, both legal and illegal immigrants. It was the understanding with all of them that citizenship was all but certain if they had an honorable discharge and no civilian crimes.
Anti-Communism was the most common factor with these non-citizens. Most were Hispanic. But they included Eastern Europeans and others. Mexican citizens in the US Army back then were extremely anti-Castro.
I was not worried about their loyalty. I was worried about the guys who drank too much and did stupid, illegal and counter-productive things that turned the Vietnamese population against us.
Convicted of crimes outweighs everything else. They deserve to be deported.
Anyone else’s bs meter-needle swinging?
That was presumed. Frankly, I was being polite to the others who supported their citizenship.
But since you brought it up...
One problem with what you wrote: How is it possible that the didn’t break immigration law if they were non-citizens?
Regardless, goes back to my comment about how they got into the military in the first place.
Do the crime, do the time.
Toss their ass.
Here in the Southwest we have had to listen to that violent staccato rap for a long time now.
Raul Grijalva, Art Torres, Corky Gonzalez, Reyes Tijerina, Antonio Villaraigosa and now the new generation - Kevin de Leon, Ricardo Lara, Tony Rendon and of course Sr. Vargas himself.
Table pounding, A-ya-na-na-ya-na-na-na, Ju gringos gotta let us in and we gonna take ober.
Same song, different day.
Pretty tired of hearing it.
Thank you!
EVERY TIME some "reporter" tries to write a sob story about illegal aliens getting deported, they NEVER tell the full truth.
That is wonderful that we have had Mexican serve honorably in the US military in defense of the United States.
But notice that none of these examples mentioned ever applied for citizenship.
More importantly, they committed CRIMES, and not jaywalking either. VIOLENT crimes.
One sob story went to prison for "firing a gun".
OK, by a show of hands, how many people go to prison for "firing a gun"?
How many veterans of any nationality who suffer from PTSD, use that as an excuse for armed robbery and drug dealing?
People with PTSD are in true psychological pain.
But they don't go out and rape people, then blame it on their mental anguish.
The old “failure to time your crime” deal .... darn the luck.
The lying headline is mendacity at its worst. The first line says they were deported because they were criminals. U.S. military service versus citizenship had nothing to do with it!
Only U.S. Citizens should be allowed to serve in our military. Period!
Yup.
If they served out their full enlistment and were discharged honorably give them citizenship. If they committed a crime after, prosecute them just like any other citizen.
I served with more than one foreigner that enlisted legally at the US Embassy in his mother country. The program they entered service under was a pipeline to US Citizenship.
Our enlistment oath states:
"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."When I was in basic training in 1975 there was even a remedial reading squadron to bring trainees up the level required. Trainees were screened, removed from training and went to the 26th squadron for a month or two. Or however long it took to wash them out or get them up to speed. Then, they returned to training in another flight at the same training day they originally left training.
Have the highest respect for the USMC but don’t believe the Oswald shot Kennedy bunk.
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