US Army veteran who served two tours in Afghanistan has been deported to Mexico

[realibrad]

https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/25/us/us-veteran-deported-to-mexico/index.html

A US Army veteran who served two tours in Afghanistan has been deported to Mexico, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement said.

The deportation follows an earlier decision by US authorities to deny Miguel Perez's citizenship application because of a felony drug conviction, despite his service and the PTSD he says it caused.
Perez, 39, was escorted across the US-Mexico border from Texas and handed over to Mexican authorities Friday, ICE said in a statement.

How can we allow him to fight and possibly die for our country, only to kick him out? Support our troops unless he is not a citizen?

 

[justoh]

Could have something to do with the conviction.

 

[Jaskalas]

Could have something to do with the conviction.

Which I acknowledge that he's a criminal, he was also a solider. We should reconsider who we let in, but once we have initiated them and they've been deployed and served our country, the least we can do is honor that commitment and sacrifice. To give them equal honor and treatment as any other who served. Which means citizenship, or at the very least permanent residency.

Think of the impact this can have on the morale of others who serve. None of them should be considered lesser. Such doubts can be dangerous.

 

[HomerJS]

Could have something to do with the conviction.

During sentencing for any crime there are always mitigating and aggravating circumstances that aid in determining outcome.

The guy was an active duty soldier, and has PTSD. He should have been offered treatment not deported.

I guess its that MAGA thing. Gotta keep the lemmings cheering.

 

[Atreus21]

https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/25/us/us-veteran-deported-to-mexico/index.html

How can we allow him to fight and possibly die for our country, only to kick him out? Support our troops unless he is not a citizen?

That sucks. I should think military service should get him some leniency.

 

[justoh]

During sentencing for any crime there are always mitigating and aggravating circumstances that aid in determining outcome.

No there aren't always, and maybe there was, but what's that got to do with his naturalization? Related but separate outcomes.

 

[IJTSSG]

He did three years in the Army with one year in Afghanistan.
He was offered treatment and refused it.
He was tossed out of the Army for smoking dope.
He was arrested with two pounds of cocaine.

Tough call. In jail here or free in Mexico.

 

[HomerJS]

No there aren't always, and maybe there was, but what's that got to do with his naturalization? Related but separate outcomes.

I was on a few juries. Its standard practice to review M&A. I just listed a few.

That soldier deserved the equivalent of a suspended sentence.

 

[pauldun170]

On July 3, 2002, President George W. Bush had signed an executive order clearing the way for noncitizens who had served in the armed forces on or after Sept. 11, 2001, to immediately file for expedited citizenship. In Kandahar at that time, Perez never learned he was obligated to apply and it wasn't automatic.

Perez Jr. returned to Fort Bragg to await his next assignment. Though he didn't want to go back to Afghanistan, he sought the adrenaline rush that came from combat and turned to cocaine, he said. Shortly after failing a routine drug test, he said he opted for an early discharge to return to Chicago.

...he reconnected with a childhood friend who provided free drugs and alcohol. On the night of Nov. 26, 2008, while with that friend, Perez handed a laptop case full of cocaine to an undercover officer. Perez pleaded guilty to delivering less than 100 grams of cocaine and was sentenced to serve half of a 15-year sentence.

He should not receive special treatment simply because he was a Veteran.
He screwed up not filing the paperwork while he was in the service. Probably to busy trying to score coke to notice something as important as citizenship being offered on a silver platter.
He got booted from the service for testing positive for coke.
He then went home and got involved in the drug trade.
There is some feel good, made for a TV movie stuff with him getting an associates degree in prison.

 

[justoh]

I was on a few juries. Its standard practice to review M&A. I just listed a few.

That soldier deserved the equivalent of a suspended sentence.

If his sentence was suspended he'd still be liable to deportation, it should be obvious.

 

[HomerJS]

If his sentence was suspended he'd still be liable to deportation, it should be obvious.

Maybe if he was offered treatment vs being deported. I know he refused once but they could have tried again.

ICE too anxious to get their numbers up not remembering these are people.

 

[dainthomas]

During sentencing for any crime there are always mitigating and aggravating circumstances that aid in determining outcome.

The guy was an active duty soldier, and has PTSD. He should have been offered treatment not deported.

I guess its that MAGA thing. Gotta keep the lemmings cheering.

Yep, send him to watch his buddies get blown up in a ridiculous war. Then when he predictably gets PTSD and uses drugs to deal with the pain, boot him out of the country. Winning!!

 

[justoh]

Yep, send him to watch his buddies get blown up in a ridiculous war. Then when he predictably gets PTSD and uses drugs to deal with the pain, boot him out of the country. Winning!!

" In 2010, he was convicted in Cook County, Illinois, on charges related to delivering more than 2 pounds of cocaine to an undercover officer. He was sentenced to 15 years and his green card was revoked."

 

[colonel]

Thats how America thanks the men and women who sacrifices themselves for their country.

 

[zinfamous]

https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/25/us/us-veteran-deported-to-mexico/index.html



How can we allow him to fight and possibly die for our country, only to kick him out? Support our troops unless he is not a citizen?

vote Trump. That's how.

 

[NostaSeronx]

America doesn't support enemy combatants in the war against drugs. Especially ones that basically said no to becoming a citizen. "Get that bad hombre outta here!"

 

[jackstar7]

If you don't support this, you should:
https://justiceforvets.org/

 

[Greenman]

He did three years in the Army with one year in Afghanistan.
He was offered treatment and refused it.
He was tossed out of the Army for smoking dope.
He was arrested with two pounds of cocaine.

Tough call. In jail here or free in Mexico.

That kind of wraps the whole thing up into a neat little package. He got off easy.

 

[Starbuck1975]

https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/25/us/us-veteran-deported-to-mexico/index.html

How can we allow him to fight and possibly die for our country, only to kick him out? Support our troops unless he is not a citizen?

He got off easy when he only received a general discharge for getting caught smoking dope on base.

Selling 2lbs of cocaine to an undercover officer is what set in motion the chain of events that led to his deportation.

 

[realibrad]

He got off easy when he only received a general discharge for getting caught smoking dope on base.

Selling 2lbs of cocaine to an undercover officer is what set in motion the chain of events that led to his deportation.

Then put him in jail. He served the country.

 

[Starbuck1975]

Then put him in jail. He served the country.

Perhaps they should have put him in jail instead of revoking his green card. I would have more empathy if he only self medicated with drugs, but once you proceed to selling, you are spreading the poison.

He got deported for not having a green card.

 

[glenn1]

Then put him in jail. He served the country.

It’s quite telling that lots here think deportation is a worse fate than a lengthy prison sentence for drug dealing.

 

[rudder]

Thats how America thanks the men and women who sacrifices themselves for their country.

The guy had two pounds of cocaine. Which would likely have been made into crack. Even it is wasn't those two pounds would bring hell to a lot of people. Should we have a parade for the guy?

 

[jackstar7]

You fools still fighting the drug war are dummies.

 

[glenn1]

You fools still fighting the drug war are dummies.

I think you misunderstand the main objections to “the war on drugs.” The injustice is putting people in jail for personal use, not large scale distributors. The goal is decriminaliztion and regulated distribution which would eliminate most of the appeal for dealing illegally. Ending the war on drugs wouldn’t create a free pass to sell whatever drugs in whatever quantities you can manage; sales would still be regulated for safety, taxation, and other reasons.

In this case the dude wasn’t deported for using but distributing. If he was distributing to get his fix, well now he’ll be free in Mexico and can get his fix rather than being jailed in the U.S. Given the expense and difficulties in the legal proceedings needed to deport, it’s pretty obvious that any other solution (including him proactively seeking help for his addiction himself before things got to the point of deportation for dealing) would have been a preferable solution.