Former US Army soldier Mauricio Hernandez Mata claims that after fighting in Afghanistan, he developed post-traumatic stress disorder and finally got into legal difficulties. Then he was deported to Mexico, where he had not resided since he was a young lad.
But on Wednesday, he and another veteran who had been deported took the oath of citizenship in the United States at a unique naturalization ceremony in San Diego, California.
The administration of President Joe Biden has been making a greater effort to make peace with immigrants who served in the US military but were ultimately deported, and the two veterans were among 65 people who were permitted back into the country over the past year.
The Immigrant Military Members and Veterans Initiative aims to help the hundreds of US veterans who have been subjected to what some people who support immigration think is an unfair punishment. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, many people are still having trouble obtaining legal assistance to enter the US.
After receiving his US citizenship certificate, the 41-year-old Hernandez, wearing a black suit and tie, remarked, “After my deportation, sure, I never believed this day would come.” It’s been a very difficult journey. I’m happy that we got a second opportunity because everybody who was born in America or fought for the country ought to.
At the ceremony, Leonel Contreras, 63, who enlisted in the US Army at the age of 17 and served for a year in 1976, was also sworn in.
Contreras, who was permitted to return to the US around four months ago, said, “I feel really privileged. I’m overjoyed to be back in American territory.
The previous ten years have been spent by both men in the border city of Tijuana.
US immigration authorities entered the National City, California, barbershop where Contreras worked and immediately took him away, detaining him until they could decide whether to deport him or not. His life was forever altered.
He kept working as a barber in Tijuana and, thanks to his fluency in English, was able to secure employment at call centers where he assisted in resolving inquiries from clients of US businesses. But it wasn’t simple.
His two sons grew up at that time, and he is now a grandfather. Contreras claimed he is not looking back now that he has obtained US citizenship.
I simply want to visit all the locations I’ve always imagined visiting, including the Grand Canyon and perhaps Mount Rushmore, he declared.
Hernandez claimed that his deportation resulted from “irreverent actions and blunders I committed due to my PTSD,” which were not defined. He opted not to provide more information. But after being granted entry into the nation again a year ago, he said that he was eager to obtain US citizenship so that he could walk to the grocery store without feeling “terrified” of being apprehended and deported to Mexico.
After he was sworn in amid applause from a throng that included more than a dozen veterans from various branches, his seven-year-old daughter gave him a hug. He then turned and gave his wife a kiss.
Hernandez claimed, “I’ve always been an American; the only difference is that now I’m a citizen and I have all the privileges that any American-born person has.
And having those rights was crucial to me in order to make the argument that anyone who is willing to sacrifice their life, their sanity, and everything else they value in order to uphold American freedom should eventually, at some time in their lives, be regarded as a US citizen.
