LULAC Report Finds Thousands of Veterans Deported Unjustly
LULAC report finds 8,237 veterans deported between 2000-2017
Of those deported, 62 percent had received honorable discharges
A new report by the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) has found that thousands of veterans have been deported from the United States in recent years, many of them unjustly.
The report, which was released on Tuesday, found that 8,237 veterans were deported between 2000 and 2017. Of those deported, 62 percent had received honorable discharges from the military.
The report also found that many of the veterans who were deported had committed minor offenses, such as traffic violations or drug possession. In some cases, veterans were deported for offenses that they committed before they joined the military.
LULAC is calling on the government to take action to address the issue of veteran deportations. The group is urging the government to create a pathway to citizenship for deported veterans and to provide them with access to the benefits that they have earned.
"These veterans have served our country with honor and distinction," said LULAC National President Domingo Garcia. "They deserve to be treated with respect and dignity, not deported to countries that they may not even know."
The report is based on data from the Department of Homeland Security. The data shows that the number of veteran deportations has increased in recent years. In 2017, 1,040 veterans were deported, up from 780 in 2016.
The increase in veteran deportations is due in part to the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration.
In 2017, the Trump administration issued a memo that expanded the categories of immigrants who could be deported. The memo made it easier to deport veterans who had committed even minor offenses.
The LULAC report is a reminder of the human toll of the Trump administration's immigration policies. These policies are tearing families apart and depriving veterans of the benefits that they have earned.
The government must take action to address the issue of veteran deportations. The government must create a pathway to citizenship for deported veterans and provide them with access to the benefits that they have earned.
