Veterans should not be deported
To the Editor:
Several of my family members and relatives have proudly served in the U.S. military dating from World War II to the present. During 1970, one of them was killed while serving his tour of duty in Vietnam.
I support U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez’s (D-McAllen) efforts in trying to get a bill passed in Congress to repatriate thousands of deported Veterans.
I totally agree with his statement that “anyone that has fought for this country deserves to live in this country.”
As groundwork for this bill, Rep. Gonzalez directly refers to the U.S. Army Veteran and Purple Heart recipient Spec. Geraldo Armijo of Pharr, who was a permanent U.S. resident before being deported.
He served two tours of duty in Iraq and suffered post traumatic disorder afterwards.
Armijo occasionally used elicit drugs to deal with a severe back injury and mental health issues. He was deported due to this situation.
Sometimes good people make mistakes.
These individuals, who have provided military service, should be given an opportunity to remain in this country and eventually become U.S. citizens.
I anticipate Rep. Gonzalez will get bipartisan support from Congressional Republicans. Hopefully President Trump will sign this bill into law.
God bless America. God bless our Veterans.
Silvestre Moreno Jr.
Mercedes
