Serving honorably in the U.S. military, a veteran who was deported to Mexico, Hector Barajas, gets well-deserved news: U.S. citizenship. ( https://www.nbcsandiego.com/on-air/as-seen-on/Deported-Army-Vet-Granted-U_S_-Citizenship_San-Diego-478353393.html ) And he did not just while away his time in Mexico, but served fellow deported U.S. military veterans – opening a Tijuana VA Clinic. With all the nonsense about non-citizens demanding rights and privileges of citizens, as well as their supportive legislators and lobbyists who brazenly chastise this country and citizens, it seems that justice is finally at hand for someone who put skin in the game. Barajas -Verela had been brought to the US when he was seven. In 1995, he enlisted in the Army and served in the 82nd Airborne. He had an incident with a firearm in 2002, resulting a year in prison and was deported. After Afghanistan and Iraq wars, the United States has seen more veterans with substance abuse, civil and criminal issues. A deportation should not have been punishment for an honorably discharged veteran. After California Governor Brown, pardoned him last year, it enabled Barajas to obtain citizenship.
150 year history: citizenship for service
In 1862, a law granted expedited naturalization to foreigners serving in the U.S. military. If you were willing to die for America, you should be able to become a citizen was the rationale. Unfortunately, between 1875 and 1917, racism clothed in a quota system hindered the Asian-born from the same privileges. But the Spanish-American War brought change to that thinking. For most of the 20th Century, ending in 1992 with the end of an American military presence in the Philippines, Filipinos could enlist in the military. They would gain skills, have a successful career and earn a retirement. It was a path to citizenship due to a government immigration policy that serving during a conflict could enable naturalization. In 1990, an Executive Order by President H.W. Bush declared that any military member, Active Duty, Guardsman or Reservist could apply for citizenship without a residency requirement. And since July 3, 2002, President George Bush signed an Executive Order that all non-citizens serving since September 11, 2001 could immediately apply for citizenship. Its provisions included veterans of past wars and conflicts. But apparently, in 2009, the U.S. again amended the policy of enlistment and subsequent naturalization to only those who were in legal possession of a Green Card at the time of enlistment.
It is a fairly complex issue when a state government refuses to follow Constitutionally-granted federal laws on immigration. Worse, for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) legislation continued support or calls for repeal, persons affected are not just students at prestigious universities using scholarships, taxpayer support, and university grants, but also honorably-serving military member (s). Many of these foreign-born enlistees have skills, particularly in certain language dialects, and received entry by virtue of the Military Accessions Vital to National Interest (MAVNI) program.
President Obama’s Administration is praised for DACA, under him began restricting the enlistment of those subject to the legislation. By introducing more-stringent vetting, the Executive Branch wanted to identify potential security risks, those with a history of criminal behavior, and those with ongoing foreign allegiances. The issue now is under review by President Trump, but ending the DACA program and potentially deporting the now-adult children will harm those who want to – or are now serving in the military. Politics may again ‘trump’ the President. While President Trump may truly want to treat “Dreamers” with respect and fairness, there are Congressmen who may force the issue. =
It is perhaps up to those of us who have served honorably in uniform, to let our elected officials -most of whom have not served in uniform – know that grandstanding about DACA, is not just about rebellious state officials, lobbyists with agendas, and one group of students using resources that are denied to legally-entitled students; this also affects our brothers and sisters in uniform. With all the televised nonsense about foreign flag-waving, non-citizen students, laborers, and tenured professors demanding rights and privileges, I will gladly support a foreign-born sailor, soldier, airman or marine who want to serve the nation he resides in, becoming a citizen before any of them.
Truths, Half-truths, and Sea Stories 