US Army veteran who served two tours in Afghanistan has been deported to Mexico
A US Army veteran who served two tours in Afghanistan has been deported to Mexico, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement said.
The deportation follows an earlier decision by US authorities to deny Miguel Perez's citizenship application because of a felony drug conviction, despite his service and the PTSD he says it caused.
Perez, 39, was escorted across the US-Mexico border from Texas and handed over to Mexican authorities Friday, ICE said in a statement.
Perez, his family and supporters, who include Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, had argued that his wartime service to the country had earned him the right to stay in the US and to receive mental health treatment for the PTSD and substance abuse.
"It's shameful to turn our backs on those who have the courage to wear the uniform," Duckworth said after Perez's citizenship application was denied. "We can do better than this."
Perez was born in Mexico and came to the United States at age 8 when his father, Miguel Perez Sr., a semi-pro soccer player, moved the family to Chicago because of a job offer, Perez told CNN earlier. He has two children born in the US. His parents and one sister are now naturalized American citizens, and another sister is an American citizen by birth.
It's a complicated case. Perez has said that what he saw and experienced in Afghanistan sent his life off the rails, leading to heavy drinking, a drug addiction and ultimately to his felony conviction.
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