Thread: Troops Worry Relatives Could Be Deported

Troops Worry Relatives Could Be Deported
By JULIANA BARBASSA 08.10.07, 6:38 PM ET




Yaderlin Jimenez was an illegal immigrant facing deportation. Her husband, a U.S. citizen and soldier, couldn't help her because he was missing after an insurgent attack in Iraq.

The military has not been able to find Army Spc. Alex Jimenez, of Lawrence, Mass., after he was apparently snatched in May during a raid on his unit south of Baghdad. His capture drew national attention to his wife's deportation case, prompting Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff to ask immigration officials to halt the proceedings.

Jimenez's wife then became a legal resident, but the couple's plight put a public face on the private anguish of a growing number of military families in similar straits.

About 35,000 legal immigrants without citizenship are now serving in the military, and nearly 34,000 other service members have taken the citizenship oath since 2001. That means when immigrant soldiers ship off to Iraq, they may carry with them a worry their American-born counterparts are less likely to share: that their family members might be deported while they are away.

"Every base has immigration problems," said Margaret Stock, an Army reservist and immigration attorney teaching at United States Military Academy at West Point. "The government they're fighting for is the same government that's trying to deport their families."

Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Eduardo Gonzalez is a citizen whose wife entered the country illegally from Guatemala when she was 5 years old. Now a young adult, she is in deportation proceedings.

"If I'm willing to die for the United States, why can't I just be allowed to be with my family?" Gonzalez asked.

Supporters of tighter immigration controls say giving the relatives of service members a free pass would only create an incentive for immigrants to enlist to legalize undocumented family members. They also oppose narrow solutions addressed at individual cases like that of Yaderlin Jimenez.

The Pentagon has long recognized that military life can be a strain on service members' families, and that ensuring their well-being is a crucial part of maintaining troop morale. But troops' families do not enjoy any special treatment when it comes to immigration infractions, Stock said.

"We give relief to soldiers from everything else - from oppressive loans, from a landlord that's trying to evict them while they're deployed," Stock said. "Someone at the top needs to decide which is most important - to keep soldiers' families together, because we know it's important for morale, or break them up in the interest of enforcing immigration law."

The federal government encourages immigrants to enlist by streamlining their citizenship applications, eliminating fees and making it easier for them to file paperwork while serving abroad. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has also postponed deportation of immigrants on active duty until they are discharged.

As the number of immigrants serving in the military grows, so do the chances of military families getting caught in an immigration bind.

The Pentagon did not respond to requests for comment on the treatment of service members' undocumented family members. Department of Homeland Security officials said all immigration cases are dealt with individually.

Gonzalez left in July for his third deployment to the Persian Gulf, where he manages a team of helicopter mechanics on an aircraft carrier. He hopes to return in time for his wife's deportation hearing in June.

"The only way I can go and do my job well is to know my wife and son are safe here and doing well," he said.

At an immigration hearing in June, Mildred Gonzalez was given 60 days to leave the country voluntarily. After learning her husband was about to redeploy, the judge, an ex-military man, granted her a one-year extension.

Sometimes reaching out to the military for help can backfire.

Before deploying to Iraq last September, Army Spc. Angel Rodriguez sought help from the legal office at Fort Polk, La., for his wife, Haydee, who had entered the country legally as a 13-year-old tourist from Honduras but overstayed her visa.

Haydee Rodriguez was afraid she would be deported while her husband was overseas, which would leave her 2-year-old son in limbo. She decided to move to California to be near her husband's family.

His mother, his mother's boyfriend and Angel Rodriguez's brother drove to Louisiana to pick her up. As visitors to the base, they were asked for identification.

His brother and the mother's boyfriend were both detained. His brother, who is here legally, eventually produced valid identification and was released. But his mother's boyfriend, an illegal immigrant, was deported to Mexico.

"I joined the Army and I take pride in what I do," Angel Rodriguez said. "But it's hard being away and defending a country that doesn't want your family."

Base officials said they were required by law to alert immigration authorities.

Because Haydee Rodriguez did not enter without authorization, she can still be legalized. She's scheduled to meet Aug. 14 with immigration officials who will quiz her on the validity of her marriage, among other issues. If they are convinced, she could walk out a legal resident.

"I'm really nervous," she said. "I'd feel so much safer if he (Angel) were here with me."


Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

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One highly unusual case should never set a standard for all other cases.

Dixie

This one case doesn't bother me so much, it will be handled OK - and I hope it doesn't set a precedent.

What bothered me about the story is the number of foreigners in our military. Foreigners have always been allowed in the military - but in that number?

I don't understand that.

So we should let all the illegal aliens now stay because one got married to a soldier??? This is all they can come up with now?

My son is in the military, I'll double check but I'm almost sure he's not too worried about us getting deported!

While we're at it, does anyone care about the American business owner in Florida, who has been told to shut down his business location and find another one.....because he doesn't speak Spanish and his signs are in English!?

Would it be asking too much for Americans to "feel for and care about this guy"!!

This could be any one of us.

Here's the link:

http://www.alipac.us/modules.php?name=F ... ic&t=76764