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The latest efforts to prevent veterans from being deported

There are veterans living in 38 different countries at the moment.

TEXAS, USA — Local Congressmen Vicente Gonzalez is hoping to finally get a law passed that will prevent veterans who have served in our military from being deported as long as they haven’t been convicted of a violent crime. 

Right now, Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs are working to identify and bring back to the country those deported veterans and their families.

Gonzalez said he wants to fix a problem that’s been happening for decades. The issue is the deportation of veterans who served our country and were honorably discharged but ended up being deported for various reasons.

"I blame both parties because both parties have allowed American veterans who wore our uniform and fight for our freedom to be deported," Gonzalez said.

Gonzales said those veterans are now living in 38 different countries. He said he’s working on legislation to keep the deportations from happening in the future. That as the White House is looking to find those vets and bring them back.

"These folks are not here illegally or undocumented or anything," he said. "They were here legally. A lot of them came here as children. They had legal status. They were green card holders. They get heavily recruited a lot of times in high school. They served in the wars many of them are decorated combat veterans they come back with a little PTSD and God forbid get in a bar fight or something and bam they’re deported.

Carlos Luna is with LULAC and is on its Military and Veterans Affairs Committee. He welcomes news that the deported veterans issue is getting attention from the White House and Congress. He tells 3News that most of those veterans had assumed they were citizens after taking the oath to defend the Country.

"They were never treated differently, if you will, they were never told they don’t forget you have to do this," Luna said.

Gonzales added that he is working with Alaska Republican Don Young on details of the deported veterans bill and hopes to have it filed sometime over the next few weeks.

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