CHICAGO - An Army veteran from Chicago who served two tours in Afghanistan and had been in the U.S. since age 8 has been deported to Mexico because of a 2008 drug-trafficking conviction.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials confirmed Monday that 39-year-old Miguel Perez Jr. was deported Friday. The move came after he lost an appeal to remain in the U.S. and Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner refused to pardon him.
Perez had a green card and he had been in the U.S. since he was 8 years old. He says he mistakenly thought he became a U.S. citizen when he took an oath to protect the nation.
Authorities say Perez handed a laptop case containing 4.4 pounds of cocaine to an undercover officer on Nov. 26, 2008. He pleaded guilty to the drug charge and ICE took him into custody after he served half of a 15-year prison sentence.
ICE officials say Perez was flown from Gary, Indiana, to Brownsville, Texas, where officers escorted him across the border and turned him over to Mexican authorities.
U.S. Sen Tammy Duckworth [D-IL] issues statement on the deportation of U.S. Combat Veteran Miguel Perez:
“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. 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. I am appalled that Secretary Nielsen did not respond to my personal appeal asking merely that she review Miguel's case and decide for herself whether deporting this brave combat Veteran was a good use of DHS’ limited resources. I will be looking into additional oversight options in the near future to protect this from happening to any other combat Veteran."