Illegal Immigrant War Veteran Deported?

helltoupee

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This happened under the Obama Administration, and was just curious as to what you guys think about this?

Is the rule of law supreme? As this guy did break some laws. Or does the fact that he risked his life and served his country outweigh the fact that he broke the law to do so?

Personally, I would give the guy a reprieve. I refuse to believe that there are no shades of grey in the world. Not sure what ended up actually happening to him.

"John Emmanuel Ferron is an undocumented father of eight children who honorably served in the United States Navy during the Vietnam War. But the Jamaican-born man may soon be sent back to a country that he has not seen in 43 years.

He joined the Navy in 1974 by assuming his friend Clyde Anthony Steele’s identity and was recognized with a Length of Service Award for his ten years in the military. After the Department of Veterans Affairs discovered his status, the military stripped Ferron of his benefits and refused to recognize his service. In 2008, Ferron was sent to a federal prison for three years on identity theft charges.

In 2011, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) put him in Eloy Detention Center in Arizona to await deportation. He was also denied prosecutorial discretion and detention release. Because Ferron strongly believes that his service in the military should allow him to naturalize, he went on a hunger strike. He was ultimately transported to the medical observation wing and force-fed."

https://thinkprogress.org/undocumen...s-deportation-with-hunger-strike-ccece7293286
 
It's fine cuz it's Obama. We'd riot if Trump did it though.
 
It's fine cuz it's Obama. We'd riot if Trump did it though.

Don't really care about the partisan issues, was more interested in the philosophical aspect of someone breaking a law to serve the country.

This may be a bad analogy, but could you be charged with breaking and entering to save someone from a burning building?
 
It's fine cuz it's Obama. We'd riot if Trump did it though.
youre blind if you dont think liberals didnt complain about trumps immigration policies. its why he changed them after his first term.
 
Sounds retarded. He should have been given citizenship and a pat on the back.
 
This happened under the Obama Administration, and was just curious as to what you guys think about this?

Is the rule of law supreme? As this guy did break some laws. Or does the fact that he risked his life and served his country outweigh the fact that he broke the law to do so?

Personally, I would give the guy a reprieve. I refuse to believe that there are no shades of grey in the world. Not sure what ended up actually happening to him.

"John Emmanuel Ferron is an undocumented father of eight children who honorably served in the United States Navy during the Vietnam War. But the Jamaican-born man may soon be sent back to a country that he has not seen in 43 years.

He joined the Navy in 1974 by assuming his friend Clyde Anthony Steele’s identity and was recognized with a Length of Service Award for his ten years in the military. After the Department of Veterans Affairs discovered his status, the military stripped Ferron of his benefits and refused to recognize his service. In 2008, Ferron was sent to a federal prison for three years on identity theft charges.

In 2011, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) put him in Eloy Detention Center in Arizona to await deportation. He was also denied prosecutorial discretion and detention release. Because Ferron strongly believes that his service in the military should allow him to naturalize, he went on a hunger strike. He was ultimately transported to the medical observation wing and force-fed."

https://thinkprogress.org/undocumen...s-deportation-with-hunger-strike-ccece7293286


How did he join the Navy in '74 yet serve in Vietnam?

edit: NVM, thought Vietnam ended in 70.
 
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The Department of Veterans Affairs in 2000 awarded him a disability – under his own name – for a head injury and PTSD.

And Ferron's crimes were not minor. He continued to use the Steele name as late as 2005-2006. His conviction in 2008 on Social Security fraud, passport fraud, identity theft and aggravated identity theft not only got him three years in jail but resulted in the VA stripping him of his benefits after the Navy said it would no longer recognize his service.
http://www.military.com/daily-news/2013/07/05/vet-on-hunger-strike-over-deportation-threat.html
 
I think he should have sought an attorney with experience with illegal immigration and try to figure out if there was a legal venue.

Quick google, found this:

Option 2 – Service in the U.S. Military
If you serve honorably and on active duty with the U.S. Armed Forces during one of the wars or conflicts named below, the law allows you to apply for U.S. citizenship. You don’t even have to go through the usual step of applying for a green card first.

You must, however, enlist (sign up) while on U.S. territory, such as the Canal Zone, American Samoa, Swains Island, or a noncommercial U.S. ship.

The conflicts that qualify you for immediate U.S. citizenship include:

  • World War I (April 6, 1917 to November 11, 1918)
  • World War II (September 1, 1939 to December 31, 1946)
  • the Korean hostilities (June 25, 1950 to July 1, 1955)
  • the Vietnam hostilities (February 28, 1961 to October 15, 1978)
  • the Persian Gulf War (August 2, 1990 to April 11, 1991)
  • “Operation Enduring Freedom” (otherwise known as the “War on Terrorism” or “Iraq Hostilities”), which began September 11, 2001 and will end by order of the U.S. President.

So while he didn't go through the normal venue, he might have had a strong case. But if he never sought to fix the issue legally, there's nothing for it. Should have done something instead of waiting around for ICE.
 
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