Deported Veterans, Stranded Far from Home after Years of Military Service, Press Biden to Bring Them

Ivan Ocon thought he would be headed back to civilian life as a U.S. citizen after serving the U.S. Army in
Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.

Ocon, who was born in Mexico, came to the United States as a legal permanent resident in 1985 to reunite with his mother. He joined the Army in 1997, and his recruiter assured him that enlisting would make him a U.S. citizen.

When Ocon received orders of deployment to Iraq he was given a pre-deployment checklist to help him get his affairs in order. Confirming his immigration status wasn’t on that list, because citizenship is not required for overseas military service.

Ocon deployed as a noncitizen. He figured if he made it home alive, he would finish the naturalization process.

Instead, Ocon was convicted of a crime and jailed in 2007, released for good behavior after nine years, and summarily deported. Today, he is stranded in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, separated from his family and fighting to come home.

PTSD-related crimes

As of 2018, the United States had 94,000 noncitizen military veterans. Ocon is one of at least 92 to be deported between 2013 and 2018, according to data from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other agencies.

The majority – 78%, according to federal data – were removed because of criminal convictions. Under the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigration Responsibility Act, “aggravated felonies” are a basis for automatic deportation.

Struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder and substance abuse put veterans at greater risk of incarceration than the general population. In 2017, nearly 28% of minority veterans – that’s 1,315,989 people – reported a service-connected disability, principally PTSD.


https://www.govexec.com/defense/2021/03/deported-veterans-stranded-far-home-after-years-military-service-press-biden-bring-them-back/172294/