Thread: Former illegal immigrant follows path to military service

Former illegal immigrant follows path to military service

by Richard Ruelas - Apr. 7, 2011 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

Oscar Vazquez, a former illegal immigrant who returned to Mexico and successfully applied to re-enter legally, has joined the Army.

The move can lead him to the front lines as well as to U.S. citizenship.

Vazquez, 24, who graduated from Arizona State University with an engineering degree, had long talked of joining the military. He discussed it last summer as he sat in a tiny duplex apartment in Magdalena de Kino, Mexico, waiting for the government to decide whether he was worthy to live legally in the United States.

Vazquez visited a Phoenix recruiter in January, his wife, Karla Vazquez, said. Even the recruiters were surprised that the newly minted resident wanted to join.

"It was like, 'And the first thing you want to do is join the Army? OK.' " she said.

Upon getting his visa and returning to the United States in August, Oscar looked for an engineering job, his wife said, but found little success. Companies were not hiring, she said.

Frustrated, Oscar decided it was time to enlist. Karla said she always knew her husband would join the armed forces.

"It was just a matter of when," she said.

Oscar joined the ROTC in high school, continuing the training because he loved the discipline and rigor even though he could not join the military because of his legal status.

Vazquez entered the U.S. illegally at age 12. His mother led him through a hole in the border fence near Douglas.

He enjoyed success as a member of a robotics team at Carl Hayden High School in west Phoenix. The four-person team of illegal residents garnered attention for winning an underwater robot competition and defeating several colleges, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. That story was featured in Wired magazine and has been optioned for a movie.

Oscar earned a scholarship at ASU, but it was taken away when the Legislature passed a law that barred illegal immigrants from receiving financial aid. He paid for his education by working construction and using money sent to a fund by readers of Wired magazine.

Oscar, realizing his legal status would prevent him from using his degree, returned to Mexico and applied to re-enter legally. His wife, a U.S. citizen, and infant daughter stayed in Phoenix.

Ten days after Oscar's story was featured in The Republic, the government granted his request for a visa. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., a longtime proponent of immigration reform, read his story and got involved.

Shortly after returning legally to the country, Oscar filed citizenship papers. He is set to take the exam and have his interview this month, his wife said.

When Oscar enlisted, it was as an Army specialist rather than a private, thanks to his degree, Karla said. She said her husband scored in the 90th percentile nationwide in aptitude and physical-fitness entry tests.

She has exchanged dozens of letters with her husband, in which he has described the rigors of basic training.

"He's happy that he did it," Karla said.

Oscar has written that the drill instructor has been "freaking them out," saying that they will all be deployed to war two months after they get out. She's unsure whether her husband will be sent into harm's way.

"I'm nervous about it," she said.

After basic training, Oscar wants to go to Fort Bragg, N.C., in hopes of joining an airborne division. He also wants to pilot Apache helicopters.

Wherever he's stationed, Karla says, she and their daughter will join him.

She will get to see her husband April 15 during his weekend leave.

He will graduate in June, in a ceremony that Karla said would include his swearing-in as a citizen.

Reach the reporter at 602-444-8473 or richard.ruelas@arizonarepublic.com.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/azliving/ ... y0407.html

Oscar Vazquez, a former illegal immigrant who returned to Mexico and successfully applied to re-enter legally

There's your Path to Citizenship.

Congratulations to Oscar Vazquez. As member of the Armed Forces, he will be fast tracked for citizenship and he did it the right way.

I could agree with a special VISA for people that were brought here as a child and educated here that returned to their home countries and wanted to return to join the military. They would be vetted and it would be a track to citizenship.

Oscar........We salute you young man!

Originally Posted by TakingBackSoCal

Oscar........We salute you young man!

Welcome to America and THANK You for serving this country, that you obviously love

and for doing it the RIGHT WAY

Originally Posted by Newmexican

Congratulations to Oscar Vazquez. As member of the Armed Forces, he will be fast tracked for citizenship and he did it the right way.

I could agree with a special VISA for people that were brought here as a child and educated here that returned to their home countries and wanted to return to join the military. They would be vetted and it would be a track to citizenship.

I agree 100%, they should go back to their country and if the USA allows them back into the USA they should join the military.

They did something similar for the Irish immigrants during the Civil War if they joined the Union army.

While I am glad he went back to his birth country and applied to re-enter legally, I am NOT glad that his re-entry was fast-tracked. How long was his wait in mexico vs. how long is the wait for people in other countries who have never lived in the US illegally?

By Executive Order. signed by Bush in 2001, anyone that joins the military is fast tracked.
His wife is a US citizen and he must not have ever gotten into any kind of trouble. Don't know how long he waited to come from Mexico but after he enlisted in the military his citizenship is fast tracked.

This is my only objection to the entire article

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., a longtime proponent of immigration reform, read his story and got involved.


if he had gotten his citizenship without the aid of a poltician then this would be a WIN WIN story in my view ..

i don't think it's fair to the other people waiting in line that he somehow got poltcial favoratism ..but that said , he sounds like an outstanding guy so i'm not going to lose much sleep over this ..

We as a country have had other nationalists join and fight in our military for years.I searved with guys from Guatemala Puerto rico Mexico France German and other European countries that had joined and fought with me.I might be wrong but if i guy puts his life on the line for this country he deseves a chance to become a citizen.Im proud of this man wanting to serve our country.