U.S. Navy veteran Joe Rico is one of many immigrant veterans who have been fighting deportation over non-violent criminal offenses — contending that they deserve a second chance after serving their country.
Caption Joe Rico, a U.S. Navy veteran, has been fighting a deportation order for the last five years.U.S. Navy veteran Joe Rico said he enlisted after 9/11, spurred on by a sense of patriotism.But after he was honorably discharged, Rico says he struggled with his mental health and turned to drugs to cope.Rico says he thought he would be allowed to go back home, but instead he was deported to Mexico.
Non-U.S. citizens have been allowed to serve in the U.S. military. There are more than 32,000 non-U.S. citizens enlisted today, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. Rico acknowledged he broke the law but said he felt that "getting deported is like getting punished twice."Edwin Salgado, a Marine veteran of the Iraq war, was also deported to Mexico seven years ago following a drug conviction and told "Nightline" that he was diagnosed with PTSD.
Non-us citizens serving in the military have long been subject to deportation for violent crimes like murder, however, deportations for non-violent crimes have increased since 1997 after the Clinton administration passed the "" which widened the scope of crimes that could trigger deportation proceedings and took away discretion from judges.
Robert Vivar, of the non-profit UNIFIED U.S. Deported Veterans Resource Center, speaks with Nightline."It's not legislation. So it could change at any time," he said. "We need legislation to be passed."Numerous bills have been proposed in Congress addressing the issue. The latest is the ‘Veteran Service Recognition Act’, re-introduced by U.S. Rep. Mark Takano on Wednesday.
"It is a travesty to me…that these folks who have been deported can get back into the country...in a coffin to be buried in National Cemetery," he said.
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