Trump Just Deported An Afghan War Vet To A Dangerous Border Town In Mexico

In another example of Donald Trump’s aggressive and inhumane immigration policy, ICE said on Monday that they have deported Miguel Perez Jr., a U.S. Army veteran who served multiple tours in Afghanistan.

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According to CNN, “The deportation follows an earlier decision by US authorities to deny Miguel Perez’s citizenship application because of a felony drug conviction, despite his service and the PTSD he says it caused.”

The same report noted: “Perez was born in Mexico and legally came to the United States at age 8 when his father, Miguel Perez Sr., a semi-pro soccer player, moved the family to Chicago because of a job offer, Perez told CNN earlier.”

The circumstances surrounding the veteran’s deportation were disturbing, as the Chicago Tribune pointed out on Monday.

“Perez was deported without the customary warning and opportunity to say goodbye to his family,” the newspaper reported. “He had no money or clothes and was left in a border town on the U.S. travel warning list, advocates said.”

The Tribune added: “His family will fly to Mexico on Monday to help him gather resources and ensure his safety.”

Instead of addiction treatment, Perez was deported

This is just the latest example of the inhumane way the Trump administration has handled immigration matters since taking over in 2017. Instead of treating Perez for his PTSD-caused drug addiction for which he served prison time, he was deported without warning – leaving him “homeless and penniless.”

As Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth said in response to the deportation, “This case is a tragic example of what can happen when national immigration policies are based more in hate than on logic and ICE doesn’t feel accountable to anyone.”

She added: “At the very least, Miguel should have been able to exhaust all of his legal options before being rushed out of the country under a shroud of secrecy.”

Miguel Perez Jr. struggled with drugs and alcohol after coming home from his tours in Afghanistan, but his service to the United States – a country he came to legally – earned him the right to stay and find proper treatment.

Instead, the Trump administration ripped him away from his family and dropped him into a country he hasn’t known since childhood – without money or food.

Sean Colarossi

Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.