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Author Topic: Medal of Deportation  (Read 6242 times)

Andres Bonilla

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Medal of Deportation
« on: February 13, 2013, 03:53:06 pm »

Jerry came to California when he was 3 years old undocumented with his grandma; his dream was to serve in the army so he enlisted as a paratrooper, after several tours he came back to work as roofer and he admits he had trouble coping so he started using drugs. He went to therapy with his army buddies and they were waited for him, they wanted to know about his immigration status; he was told not to worry he was a veteran. He was deported immediately; he was left in Tijuana with his broken Spanish. The next day he went back to the US, he jus walked in. He was caught a month later and banned for life from the US. He told me he used to make 30 dollars an hour as a roofer, now he makes 30 cents an hour. He lives in this small place where he helps other deported veterans. The worst part is not staying with his daughter, his wife told him her health is deteriorating and she believes is the stress, she told him she loves him but she needs to move on. He still believes his actions are the reason for his deportation, he should not have gotten involved with drugs, he should have not taken for granted his legality. I always thought I was an American, he told me.
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nemo295

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Re: Medal of Deportation
« Reply #1 on: February 13, 2013, 04:03:03 pm »

A 3-year old is hardly responsible for being in this country illegally. And I'm sorry, but anyone who puts their ass on the line for this country deserves automatic citizenship along with their honorable discharge from the military.
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RSL

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Re: Medal of Deportation
« Reply #2 on: February 13, 2013, 04:04:44 pm »

+1. We agree again, Doug.  :D
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Russ Lewis  www.russ-lewis.com.

Andres Bonilla

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Re: Medal of Deportation
« Reply #3 on: February 13, 2013, 04:10:49 pm »

A 3-year old is hardly responsible for being in this country illegally. And I'm sorry, but anyone who puts their ass on the line for this country deserves automatic citizenship along with their honorable discharge from the military.
I agree but the VA seems overwhelmed with a myriad of problems and quite frankly deported veterans are at the end of the list. Some of the fallen soldiers get the medal but their families not the benefits; it is a serious problem, they are two very different government entities.
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RedwoodGuy

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Re: Medal of Deportation
« Reply #4 on: February 13, 2013, 05:42:50 pm »

@ medalla--

This is a strong photograph that is also near perfectly executed. The central subject appears to be in his comfortable surroundings and there is a wealth of content to examine along with the subject. I think while there is a ton of content in the photograph, there is none that seem extraneous. I can't zoom in, but there would be lots to examine closely and hold attention, and fill in the blanks about the subject. Anything removed would make the photo less than it is. This photo also elicits an emotional response that is present from the moment I laid eyes on it. Powerful, compelling and technically excellent photograph.
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Vladimirovich

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Re: Medal of Deportation
« Reply #5 on: February 13, 2013, 06:34:48 pm »

Jerry came to California when he was 3 years old undocumented with his grandma; his dream was to serve in the army so he enlisted as a paratrooper

so how it is possible that US Army hires (recruits) somebody who is undocumented ? aren't they doing any simple background checks like matching SSN# to the name/DOB/etc ? or that guy just invented a story ?
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Vladimirovich

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Re: Medal of Deportation
« Reply #6 on: February 13, 2013, 06:44:15 pm »

And I'm sorry, but anyone who puts their ass on the line for this country deserves automatic citizenship along with their honorable discharge from the military.

there are provisions (and they were for ages) for permanent residents to get US citizenship = http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/m-599.pdf

however the issue is different... you need to be a permanent resident at least to join the army or there was for a while a small exception (limited number) for non immigrants who were legally admitted = http://www.goarmy.com/info/mavni.html

http://www.defense.gov/news/mavni-fact-sheet.pdf

« Last Edit: February 13, 2013, 07:08:13 pm by Vladimirovich »
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amolitor

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Re: Medal of Deportation
« Reply #7 on: February 13, 2013, 08:11:02 pm »

Things seem to have changed in recent years, but signing up for the army used to be a pretty viable path to immigration.
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Kirk Gittings

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Re: Medal of Deportation
« Reply #8 on: February 13, 2013, 09:39:46 pm »

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Thanks,
Kirk Gittings

Eric Myrvaagnes

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Re: Medal of Deportation
« Reply #9 on: February 13, 2013, 10:08:38 pm »

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-Eric Myrvaagnes (visit my website: http://myrvaagnes.com)

Chris_Brown

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Re: Medal of Deportation
« Reply #10 on: February 13, 2013, 10:09:15 pm »

The photo is very nice. I wish I could zoom in to read the details.

The story is stranger than fiction. Unbelievably sad, and makes me realize how incompetent our government is.
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~ CB

Vladimirovich

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Re: Medal of Deportation
« Reply #11 on: February 14, 2013, 12:58:26 am »

Things seem to have changed in recent years, but signing up for the army used to be a pretty viable path to immigration.


never was (do not mix immigration = when non immigrant receives a status of a permanent resident with the situation when permanent resident = already immigrated legally applies for US citizenship) - read the last page of the http://www.defense.gov/news/mavni-fact-sheet.pdf ... numbers were peanuts and were allowed only in certain limited periods of time.

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Vladimirovich

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Re: Medal of Deportation
« Reply #12 on: February 14, 2013, 01:01:06 am »

The story is stranger than fiction. Unbelievably sad, and makes me realize how incompetent our government is.

the story is clearly invented to serve as a cheap ad for the photo... if that undocumented alien used fake documents to join the armed forces then it is a good reason to prosecute him and also find and prosecute those recruiters who did not catch such blatant infiltration or rather were driven by greed to facilitate that to happen.
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Andres Bonilla

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Re: Medal of Deportation
« Reply #13 on: February 14, 2013, 03:10:46 am »

@ medalla--

This is a strong photograph that is also near perfectly executed. The central subject appears to be in his comfortable surroundings and there is a wealth of content to examine along with the subject. I think while there is a ton of content in the photograph, there is none that seem extraneous. I can't zoom in, but there would be lots to examine closely and hold attention, and fill in the blanks about the subject. Anything removed would make the photo less than it is. This photo also elicits an emotional response that is present from the moment I laid eyes on it. Powerful, compelling and technically excellent photograph.

Thank you very much for your comment! Yes his environment elicits chaos but as much as he tries to keep it together, his world has unraveled. He was the one who started the support program but he seems overwhelmed most of the time.
« Last Edit: February 14, 2013, 03:53:34 am by Andres Bonilla »
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Andres Bonilla

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Re: Medal of Deportation
« Reply #14 on: February 14, 2013, 03:21:17 am »

so how it is possible that US Army hires (recruits) somebody who is undocumented ? aren't they doing any simple background checks like matching SSN# to the name/DOB/etc ? or that guy just invented a story ?

Things may have changed after terrorist attacks but for the most part a criminal background check was done. These guys are american in everyway, they speak perfect english, they went to high school in USA, they follow american sports, they bought houses, they worked in the USA and like many others( Liliana Plata, 25,from Mexico, who assumed the identify of another woman in order to join the Air Force in 1999 and  Danny Lightfoot, a fraudulently enlisted Marine from the Bahamas who was ultimately permitted to remain in the Corps) They just got in thru the cracks. They didn't even used fraudulent papers.
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Andres Bonilla

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Re: Medal of Deportation
« Reply #15 on: February 14, 2013, 03:26:00 am »

there are provisions (and they were for ages) for permanent residents to get US citizenship = http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/m-599.pdf

however the issue is different... you need to be a permanent resident at least to join the army or there was for a while a small exception (limited number) for non immigrants who were legally admitted = http://www.goarmy.com/info/mavni.html

http://www.defense.gov/news/mavni-fact-sheet.pdf



During their situation the rules were a bit different. It also depends on how far behind the particular branch of the armed forces is in its recruiting goals. The article from the Village Voice says: "While it’s Army policy to enlist only citizens and legal residents, the service gets more flexible during wartime. “In any particular case, separation for an erroneous or fraudulent enlistment may be appropriate,” Lieutenant Colonel Pamela Hart, of the public affairs office, wrote in an e-mail. “In other cases, a commander may determine that a soldier has served so meritoriously that he or she may recommend an exception.”
Except if the soldier commits a grave error or the "war time" criteria is no longer valid.
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Andres Bonilla

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Re: Medal of Deportation
« Reply #16 on: February 14, 2013, 03:28:40 am »

Things seem to have changed in recent years, but signing up for the army used to be a pretty viable path to immigration.


Yep but now is only a proposal.
" The Development, Relief and Education of Alien Minors (DREAM) Act is a bipartisan bill that would provide a path to legal residence for undocumented young people who were brought to the United States as children. The conditions: They must graduate from high school, demonstrate good moral character, and -- to keep their legal status -- complete at least two years of higher education or at least two years service in the U.S. military."

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Andres Bonilla

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Re: Medal of Deportation
« Reply #17 on: February 14, 2013, 03:31:04 am »

The photo is very nice. I wish I could zoom in to read the details.

The story is stranger than fiction. Unbelievably sad, and makes me realize how incompetent our government is.

Thanks! Well is not only the government, lots of folks do not agree with a path to residency, much less citizenship just because you are a veteran.
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Andres Bonilla

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Re: Medal of Deportation
« Reply #18 on: February 14, 2013, 03:34:42 am »

never was (do not mix immigration = when non immigrant receives a status of a permanent resident with the situation when permanent resident = already immigrated legally applies for US citizenship) - read the last page of the http://www.defense.gov/news/mavni-fact-sheet.pdf ... numbers were peanuts and were allowed only in certain limited periods of time.



Yep, a retired military officer and attorney wrotte this. " About 65,000 such eligible students graduate from U.S. high schools each year, but upon graduation, these young people, who include honor roll students, star athletes and junior ROTC members, hit a wall.

Instead of advancing to college or the military and later repaying the investment that taxpayers made in their education, they live in fear of being discovered by the Department of Homeland Security and deported to their "home" country, even if it is a country they cannot remember and where they have no friends, family or support."

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Andres Bonilla

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Re: Medal of Deportation
« Reply #19 on: February 14, 2013, 03:48:27 am »

the story is clearly invented to serve as a cheap ad for the photo... if that undocumented alien used fake documents to join the armed forces then it is a good reason to prosecute him and also find and prosecute those recruiters who did not catch such blatant infiltration or rather were driven by greed to facilitate that to happen.

What????????? The story is going to air on national television with the Veteran Affairs and the Department of Homeland Security involved, don't you think they would expose a lie before this airs? This guy is not the only one, there are hundreds of them all over.  Driven by greed? What do they get? What do you get by serving in Korea, Kosovo or the Persian Gulf other than the satisfaction of serving your country? Clearly invented? Why !to post in a photographic forum? Sir, please do some reading before you make moronic comments.
This from the OC register "Yes, some illegal immigrants have lied to enlist in the military. They're in good company. Like that of U.S. Marine Jack Lucas, who was awarded the Medal of Honor at age 17 after lying about his age to enlist as a 14-year-old. Lying to gain the opportunity to serve and fight for the country you call home is not run-of-the-mill immigration fraud. It should be made clear that those who go this route will be discharged once found out, and will not gain residence or citizenship from lying. If they are successful in joining, they will get the chance to fight for their country--no more and no less."
 
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