CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — This Veterans Day, one Chicago group brought attention to U.S. military veterans who have been deported after serving their country.
Leaders of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) say they have signed and sent a letter to Gov. J.B. Pritzker regarding five green card military veterans from Illinois. The veterans were deported after having minor, nonviolent run-ins with the law, and the group is calling for their pardon and immediate return to the U.S.
LULAC leaders said they are among thousands nationwide who have had this experience after returning home from deployment.
“These veterans were recruited from high school, drafted or enlisted as permanent residents under the promise of U.S. citizenship,” said LULAC Illinois Director Cecilia Garcia. “They fought for the United States, defending its Constitution, its flag and its ideals.”
Upon their return home, Garcia said these green card veterans found themselves living in exile — instead of being granted access to the mental health and addiction resources that are offered to their U.S. citizen counterparts to treat military trauma.
“These veterans gave everything for this country, and it is time, now, to honor that sacrifice by allowing them to return home to the families and communities that are waiting for them,” Garcia said.
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