SAN DIEGO — San Diego-based Black Deported Veterans of America is advocating for service members deported to their birth country. The group will join other organizations to walk in the New York City Veterans Day Parade.
“I understand that this is an issue that isn't necessarily known to the American public,” said Rob Young, producer of the documentary film "Bring Them Home."
Young is part of the group flying to the East Coast to be a part of Monday's parade. "Bring Them Home" is expected to be released in 2025, and features the experiences of veterans who were deported through various circumstances.
“I just couldn't fathom the concept of someone who's willing to die for my freedoms not being able to live the same freedom that they were willing to die for," Young said. "It really struck me so hard that as a creative I just had to do something.”
The goal of the film is to raise awareness of the reality some veterans face when they are deported after serving the United States.
According to the National Association of Minority Veterans of America, the majority of the service members deported were legal residents who committed at least three misdemeanors. The exact number of veterans who have been deported is unclear.
“Technically they are not supposed to deport any veterans anymore, but they're still being deported and they’re supposed to review everybody's case as well," said Hector Barajas, director of Deported Veterans Support House. "But that's not happening either because there's no structure in place in within (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) to make sure that they ask everybody if they're a veteran while they are going through immigration system.”
The Deported Veterans Support House is a Tijuana-based group that connects veterans with resources they may need.
“We should honor our veterans by making sure that they get all their benefits, not just deported veterans, our homeless veterans, our veterans that go to jail,” Barajas said.
Barajas said he would like to see a program in place in the future where everyone that serves in the military follows a certain process to become citizens before they are out of the military.