According to the US "World Journal" report, Miguel Perez Jr, a permanent resident with an American green card. , 39 years old), mistakenly thought that after joining the army, he would automatically become a citizen. After being discharged from the Afghan war twice for the United States, he was imprisoned for possessing drugs, but after serving his sentence, he was ruled by the federal court to "cancel his green card and be deported".
A few days ago, the district heads of Chicago signed a joint signature and sent it to the Illinois Congress, claiming that a soldier who had made great contributions to protecting the country and had a green card had no other criminal record except being imprisoned for drugs and sincerely repented, but now he was sentenced to deportation, which is heartbreaking.
Su Lishi, the mayor of Chicago's 25th district who is initiating a petition for Perez, said on February 1 local time that those who joined the army with green cards had sworn to protect the United States when they joined the army. Many people think that they have been "naturalized" because they take the same oath as naturalized citizens. He said that Perez has lived in the United States for more than 30 years and has two children. He should be given the opportunity to stay in the United States.
Su Lishi mentioned that at present, the Immigration Enforcement Bureau is making more and more efforts in arresting and repatriating immigrants, and many similar cases continue to occur, which is undoubtedly a great challenge to the immigrant community.
Perez came to America with his parents when he was eight years old and got a green card. 200 1 joined the army and went to Afghanistan twice. After leaving the army, he was suspected of suffering from "post-traumatic stress disorder" and received treatment.
In 2008, Perez was sentenced to prison 15 years for drug-related crimes. He did well in prison and was released after serving half his sentence.
However, after he was released from prison, he did not return to his home in Chicago as he wished, but was transferred to the prison of Wisconsin Immigration and Customs Enforcement Bureau, waiting for repatriation. Although he appealed to the federal court, claiming that he would be threatened by drug lords if he returned to Mexico, he was rejected by the federal court.
Chris Bergin, Perez's lawyer, said that Perez should not be repatriated because he had to undergo a brain examination for post-traumatic syndrome as soon as possible and seek to trace his citizenship when he joined the army.
On February 1, 40 Chicago mayors, including Su Lishi, signed a letter and sent it to Iraqi Senator tammy duckworth, who is also a veteran. Su Lishi said that it is heartbreaking that a soldier who holds a green card and has made contributions to protecting the country has no other criminal record except being imprisoned for drugs and sincerely repenting.
In addition to the Perez case, Gomez Garcia, an immigrant whose DACA status had just expired, was arrested by ICE as soon as he left the court because of a traffic ticket, and was sent to ICE prison in Weizhou on June 5438+1October 2 1.