Advocates Rally for Deported Veteran Outside San Diego Courthouse
A small group of advocates gathered outside the federal courthouse in San Diego, California, on Thursday morning, united in their support for a deported veteran.
Among the demonstrators was James Smith, founder of Deported Black Veterans of America, who held a poster of his brother, Benito Miranda Hernandez, a U.S. Navy veteran adorned with three gold medals. Hernandez, a proud veteran who served three tours during the Iraq War, had hoped his military service would secure his path to citizenship.
However, Hernandez now finds himself caught in the crosshairs of deportation under the Trump administration’s immigration policies. “These men and women were promised citizenship for their military service,” Smith declared. “We must help this brother come home.”
President Trump has emphasized a crackdown on immigrants with criminal records, which puts veterans like Hernandez at heightened risk. Advocates note that many former service members face mental health challenges upon returning to civilian life, making them particularly vulnerable to legal troubles.
Hernandez struggled to adjust after his military service, and he recently completed a multi-year sentence for a drug-related conviction. Upon finishing his sentence, he was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents while awaiting his mother’s arrival. Unbeknownst to her, his circumstances had drastically changed; she and another son searched for hours to locate him.
“He was doing the right thing,” Miranda shared in Spanish with Al Jazeera. “He had a lot of hopes and dreams.” After his detention, Hernandez was transferred to the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego, facing deportation despite receiving a green card for permanent residency earlier this year.
This situation reflects a troubling trend under the current administration. While the exact number of deported veterans remains unclear—partly due to ICE’s failure to track veteran statuses—advocates report a rise in deportation cases involving U.S. veterans during Trump’s administration. The New York Times highlighted that at least 34 veterans entered deportation proceedings last year, with many cases going unreported for fear of jeopardizing others’ immigration situations.
Robert Vivar, co-founder of the Tijuana-based United States Deported Veterans Resource Center, asserted, “As ICE raids continue across the U.S., we will unfortunately lose veterans who are no longer U.S. citizens.” Danitza James, president of Repatriate Our Patriots, added that veterans are caught in a web of detention due to ongoing immigration procedures, often flagged for unresolved warrants or criminal convictions.
For decades, the U.S. military has actively recruited immigrants to fill manpower shortages, often leading them to believe that military service would expedite their path to citizenship. Yet, many veterans, including Hernandez, have faced delays in their naturalization processes. When Hernandez was called for a citizenship interview in 2006, it had been two years since his last deployment, during which he encountered legal troubles.
Smith argues that the government’s inability to protect immigrant veterans highlights a significant failure in military policy. “The U.S. government is not accountable for what it has created. It strips us of our humanity so we can be used without repercussions,” he stated. He emphasized the lack of resources available to help veterans reintegrate into civilian life after service.
While several bills in Congress aim to safeguard immigrant veterans, recruitment practices continue to target immigrant communities with the promise of expedited citizenship. The future remains uncertain for Hernandez, but during Thursday’s demonstration, an attorney from a local immigration nonprofit expressed interest in supporting his case.
Meanwhile, Hernandez’s mother is doing her best to support him during this challenging time. She plans to visit him at the ICE facility soon, although the long drive from Anaheim to San Diego is a strain on her health. “When I met him on Saturday, he was very depressed,” Miranda recalled. “He said, ‘I don’t want to cause you any more problems. I’m doing the right thing. I’m praying for myself.’” With deep emotion, she added, “They cut off the bird’s wings and all the hope he had and threw them in the trash.”
