Deported Veterans Project Statement

 

In 2021 I was invited by some Lakota military veterans who support Deported U.S. veterans to make a trip to Mexico and meet with a number of the vets they are trying to assist. These are veterans who are not U.S. citizens but fought for the American military with the promise of becoming citizens. Some of them grew up in our country and had not lived anywhere else since being babies. After serving in the U.S. military, they were deported for breaking the laws on charges like DUIs, marijuana possession, or, at times, harder drugs. These charges were all common charges for people returning from participating in a war with PTSD. Once charged, they were deported, commonly brought to the Mexican border, and dropped off with nowhere to go, no relatives there, no funds with them, and often not even able to speak Spanish, even when they were of Mexican descent. The veterans are told they are eligible for veterans’ health benefits and more. However, finding a Mexican health provider who can work with the U.S. Veterans Administration guidelines is not likely. Most of them cannot return to the U.S.A. to get their health care, visit family, or get other benefits. Many were under the impression they were already citizens after being told so by military officers while enlisted. I spent only one week being introduced to the Veterans and their cause. prisons and being told they had paid their debt to society. This injustice continues to warrant attention and a better systematic solution when many of these people risked their lives for America in more than one war, and some are willing to do so again.

 

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