{"id":43137,"date":"2018-04-14T16:55:27","date_gmt":"2018-04-14T16:55:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/04\/14\/deported-veteran-becomes-us-citizen-after-california-pardon\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T02:58:45","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T02:58:45","slug":"deported-veteran-becomes-us-citizen-after-california-pardon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2018\/04\/14\/deported-veteran-becomes-us-citizen-after-california-pardon\/","title":{"rendered":"Deported veteran becomes US citizen after California pardon"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SAN DIEGO \u2014 A decorated former U.S. Army paratrooper whose work on behalf of deported veterans drew widespread attention to his cause became a U.S. citizen Friday, giving immigration advocates a rare reason to celebrate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hector Barajas, who was deported to Mexico in 2010, beamed after taking his citizenship oath in a small, private ceremony at a government office in San Diego in full military uniform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI get to live the American Dream for a second time,\u201d he said, holding a small American flag in his hand at a jubilant news conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2018\/03\/30\/deported-army-veteran-wins-fight-for-us-citizenship\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/us-army-veteran-hector-barajas.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Deported Army veteran wins fight for US citizenship<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">A deported U.S. Army veteran has been granted U.S. citizenship, a move made possible by California Gov. Jerry Brown\u2019s pardon of a criminal offense last year.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Barajas founded the Deported Veterans Support Home in the Mexican border city of Tijuana, providing shelter and other services. Extensive media coverage, support from members of Congress and the American Civil Liberties Union\u2019s involvement raised his profile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Barajas got his break last year when California Gov. Jerry Brown pardoned a 2002 conviction for shooting at an occupied vehicle. Brown cited Barajas\u2019 military service and advocacy work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services told him in March that he was granted citizenship.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2018\/04\/01\/as-many-as-11800-military-families-face-deportation-issues-group-says\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"210\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18085667502261.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">As many as 11,800 military families face deportation issues, group says<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">While the active duty members themselves are protected \u2014 because in order to enlist a service member has to show proof that they are in the country legally \u2014 their undocumented spouses are not.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hours before Barajas took his oath President Donald Trump tweeted about plans for a border wall with Mexico and a crackdown on so-called sanctuary cities. A surge of deportation arrests and sweeping policy changes have stung advocates of more open immigration policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nathan Fletcher, a Marine combat veteran and chairman of the advocacy group Honorably Discharged, Dishonorably Discarded, said Trump\u2019s tweet started the day with \u201cdivision and conflict and tearing families apart\u201d and ended with Barajas taking his oath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s a tremendous contrast of what can happen and what should happen and it shows that injustice can be overcome,\u201d Fletcher said alongside Barajas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1200\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/us-army-veteran-hector-barajas.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-78407\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/us-army-veteran-hector-barajas.jpg.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/us-army-veteran-hector-barajas.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/us-army-veteran-hector-barajas.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/us-army-veteran-hector-barajas.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/us-army-veteran-hector-barajas.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">In this Feb. 13, 2017, file photo, U.S. Army veteran Hector Barajas, who was deported, poses for a portrait in his office at the Deported Veterans Support House, nicknamed &#8220;the bunker&#8221; in Tijuana, Mexico. (Gregory Bull\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Barajas came to the United States from Mexico when he was 7 years old and obtained a green card through family ties. After graduating from high school, he served in the U.S. Army from 1995 to 2001, when he was honorably discharged, according to his federal lawsuit filed in December seeking citizenship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He was a member of the 82nd Airborne Division and received several military accolades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After serving prison time for his felony conviction, he was deported in 2004 to Mexico, lacking fluency in Spanish and struggling to find work, according to the lawsuit. He returned to the United States and was deported again in 2010 after police stopped him for a traffic infraction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Green card holders who serve honorably in the military are eligible for citizenship, if they don\u2019t commit crime and meet other requirements. James Erselius, Barajas\u2019 attorney, said getting deported for a crime is typically a bar on citizenship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Barajas, who served two years in prison, said he regretted his actions but that he \u201cwas no less of an American because of the mistakes that I\u2019ve made.\u201d He said he planned to stay at the Tijuana shelter for a year before returning to the Los Angeles to find a job and maybe go to school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The ACLU said Barajas is the second deported veteran pardoned by Brown to be allowed to return to the United States. It estimates there are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of other veterans who were deported from the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Marine veteran Marco Chavez was pardoned by Brown for cruelty to animals and allowed to return to the U.S. from Mexico in December.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hector Barajas, who was deported to Mexico in 2010, beamed after taking his citizenship oath in a small, private ceremony at a government office in San Diego in full military uniform.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":78401,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":21,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,16,26,21],"tags":[],"coauthors":[2352],"class_list":["post-43137","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-news","category-newsletters","category-veterans"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"2SUJKHRIBVBFHOJQS4YE7OY46M","arc_canonical_url":"\/veterans\/2018\/04\/14\/deported-veteran-becomes-us-citizen-after-california-pardon\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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