https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino...-iraq-facing-deportation-el-salvador-n1068886
Supporters of a Marine combat veteran who served in Iraq are calling on the governor of California to help stop his imminent deportation to El Salvador, a country he left at 3 years old.
Jose Segovia Benitez, 38, served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1999-2004 and was deployed to Iraq, receiving multiple awards and decorations during his service, according to Marine and military records. His rib cage is tattooed with a large Statue of Liberty.
"He is a soldier who put his life on the line to defend his country," his mother, Martha Garcia, said in Spanish. "But when he returned from the war, he came back with problems."
His supporters said that when Segovia Benitez returned, he suffered from PTSD and a traumatic brain injury. He began self-medicating with alcohol and ran into trouble with the law, they said.
While he previously had legal status, he was ordered to be removed from the country last year after serving several years in prison for drug and domestic violence-related convictions, according to immigration authorities.
His family, advocates and lawyers say that while they do not excuse his past behavior, Segovia Benitez did not get the treatment he needed for his PTSD and brain injury, noting he served both his country and his sentence. They say he does not deserve to be deported to an extremely dangerous country he has never known after his years of service.
“It’s just cruel,” Garcia said.
Segovia Benitez, who has lived in the U.S. since he was a child and grew up in Long Beach, California, decided to serve his country right out of high school, his mother said.
Basty Garcia, his sister, said her brother enlisted because "he was patriotic and believed in this country."
Immigration authorities began his deportation process Tuesday, but he was subsequently taken off a plane bound for El Salvador and is now being detained in Arizona, according to his family and advocates.
Basty Garcia said it remained unclear exactly what happened and why.
An advocate for Segovia Benitez appealed in August to California Gov. Gavin Newsom to pardon his convictions, Basty Garcia said. Attorneys for Segovia Benitez are now also seeking a pardon from Newsom.
Attorney Thomas Sanchez said Segovia Benitez was represented by a public defender in the drug and domestic violence cases and should have been charged with misdemeanors instead of felonies.
“So, when we looked at the case we said if we can get a pardon for him for the aggravated felonies, which should have been misdemeanors in the first place, then he can become a citizen,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez said the assault with a deadly weapon charge stemmed from Segovia Benitez having a screwdriver in his pocket that he did not use.
Supporters of a Marine combat veteran who served in Iraq are calling on the governor of California to help stop his imminent deportation to El Salvador, a country he left at 3 years old.
Jose Segovia Benitez, 38, served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1999-2004 and was deployed to Iraq, receiving multiple awards and decorations during his service, according to Marine and military records. His rib cage is tattooed with a large Statue of Liberty.
"He is a soldier who put his life on the line to defend his country," his mother, Martha Garcia, said in Spanish. "But when he returned from the war, he came back with problems."
His supporters said that when Segovia Benitez returned, he suffered from PTSD and a traumatic brain injury. He began self-medicating with alcohol and ran into trouble with the law, they said.
While he previously had legal status, he was ordered to be removed from the country last year after serving several years in prison for drug and domestic violence-related convictions, according to immigration authorities.
His family, advocates and lawyers say that while they do not excuse his past behavior, Segovia Benitez did not get the treatment he needed for his PTSD and brain injury, noting he served both his country and his sentence. They say he does not deserve to be deported to an extremely dangerous country he has never known after his years of service.
“It’s just cruel,” Garcia said.
Segovia Benitez, who has lived in the U.S. since he was a child and grew up in Long Beach, California, decided to serve his country right out of high school, his mother said.
Basty Garcia, his sister, said her brother enlisted because "he was patriotic and believed in this country."
Immigration authorities began his deportation process Tuesday, but he was subsequently taken off a plane bound for El Salvador and is now being detained in Arizona, according to his family and advocates.
Basty Garcia said it remained unclear exactly what happened and why.
An advocate for Segovia Benitez appealed in August to California Gov. Gavin Newsom to pardon his convictions, Basty Garcia said. Attorneys for Segovia Benitez are now also seeking a pardon from Newsom.
Attorney Thomas Sanchez said Segovia Benitez was represented by a public defender in the drug and domestic violence cases and should have been charged with misdemeanors instead of felonies.
“So, when we looked at the case we said if we can get a pardon for him for the aggravated felonies, which should have been misdemeanors in the first place, then he can become a citizen,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez said the assault with a deadly weapon charge stemmed from Segovia Benitez having a screwdriver in his pocket that he did not use.
