Judge Orders Veteran Who Served in Afghanistan to Be Deported

 

Cliff notes version. Army veteran, came here from Mexico when 8 yo. Served in Army and 2 tours in Afghanistan. Injured while serving. Comes back to states, arrested for selling 2 pounds of coke. 7 years in prison, just gets out, ICE looking to deport him. By the way he NEVER became a naturalized citizen while serving. What do you think?

 

An Army veteran who served two tours of duty in Afghanistan has been ordered to be deported to Mexico by an immigration judge.

Miguel Perez was a permanent legal resident of the United States, where's he's lived since his family moved to Chicago when he was 8.

Despite his longstanding residence and service in the armed forces, he is being deported because of a non-violent drug offense, for which he served seven years in prison, authorities said.

"Miguel is basically an American in every sense of the word," his lawyer Chris Bergin said at a press conference where Perez's family gathered to affirm their support for the veteran.

According to KFOR, Perez joined the U.S. Army and served two tours of duty in Afghanistan, where he suffered a brain injury in an explosion.

Perez's loved ones say he developed post-traumatic stress disorder, which made it difficult for him to find work when he returned to Chicago.

It was then they say he then started selling drugs.

Perez was convicted of selling more than two-pounds of cocaine in February 2010.

Now that he's been freed, the father of two was detained by ICE officials because he is not an American citizen.

His family, meanwhile, has appealed to Sen. Dick Durbin and Sen. Tammy Duckworth for help.

“It’s a complicated case," Durbin said in a statement. "We don’t want dangerous people to remain in this country, but we ought to have our eyes wide open ... Here’s a man who risked his life for this country, maybe he can pay his price for what he’s done wrong here, and still get a chance to stay here."

Perez has two children, an 18-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son, who are both U.S. citizens. An appeal has been filed on his behalf to the Board of Immigration Appeals. Perez will remain in the U.S. during the appeals process.

Tough call, he committed a crime (not a petty crime either). Have to ask why he wasn't naturalized when in the service?

I'd deport every drug dealer, citizen or not...so this is easy for me. That's close to $150K in Coke, so this doesn't sound like a regular street level dealer. Is there an argument to allow him to stay because he was in the Army, sure. But being a Veteran doesn't get you out of any other criminal offense...not sure why this should be any different.

I'd deport every drug dealer, citizen or not...so this is easy for me. That's close to $150K in Coke, so this doesn't sound like a regular street level dealer. Is there an argument to allow him to stay because he was in the Army, sure. But being a Veteran doesn't get you out of any other criminal offense...not sure why this should be any different.

 

Ive posted this before but my thoughts are (with the illegals that are already here) let them serve 6 in the Armed forces, during that time process they can work on being a legal citizen, when there service is over, become a citizen, and they can stay.

Just put him in prison and let family stay.

Just put him in prison and let family stay.

 

He was already in prison for 7 years.

He was already in prison for 7 years.

 

Well put him back in.

 

How does he fight for the Army if he isn't a citizen of the US

To discuss this properly we have to be able to talk about Politics.