Banished veterans are relying on each other – for now

Matt Pierce
March 28, 2016

They were responsible for being the walls of defense and the stallions of bravery whenever the time came in battlefields from Iraq to Korea but now they have been left to dwell in the shadow of the country and have been sent back to Mexico for crimes that were as small as possessing marijuana.

US veterans left deported in Mexico:

A lot of veterans find it increasingly hard to live the civilian life and crimes such as indulging in a bar fight or getting caught with marijuana or writing a bad check can lead them to banishment by the country they once strived to protect the safety of. The reason for this is pretty straight forward: They weren’t US citizens when they decided to take the responsibility of wearing the uniform. The law governs that such veterans, as soon as they commit a crime no matter how small, are to be deported.

Hector Barajas, one of the veterans who currently has the Deported Veterans Support House as a habitat in the Otay Centenario neighbourhood has nothing but grief to offer in the few words he said regarding the situation. He said that many men like him served with valour and passion in Vietnam and the treatment that they have been saved is not what they deserve. He further said that the support that he receives from his fellow deportees is the only thing that keeps him going.

While the law needs to be solid and adamant, this whole system of deporting the veterans on the committing of the smallest of crimes is largely unjustified on part of the government. Some relaxation in this regard needs to be proposed and put into practice because a small lapse in judgement shouldn’t make the country forget the efforts made by the brave men that fought for it.