When it comes to Kern County, the love for our veterans is strong. We hold parades, paint murals, and create museums in their honor. However, there\u2019s often a group that\u2019s overlooked. The veterans that served our country and later \u2026 deported.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to do something positive with my life, I wanted to be somebody you know and I guard that wearing the uniform and putting your life on the line would make me feel proud of myself,\u201d said veteran Juan Albert Martinez.<\/p>\n
Juan Albert Martinez was brought to the U.S. from Mexico when he was two years old. The son of farmworkers, the family moved around<\/p>\n
Bakersfield, Lamont, and Arvin.<\/p>\n
At 18, Martinez joined the military not only to find his purpose in life, but to extend his gratitude to his new country for giving him a home.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt motivated me a lot and I graduated with honors from basic training, I was a high speed soldier I was already ready for the mission and I wasn\u2019t afraid of the challenge,\u201d said Martinez.<\/p>\n
Joining the Army in 1997, Martinez was deployed to Iraq and served in Operation Desert Thunder.<\/p>\n
Serving in the military was hard, readjusting to civilian life was harder. Eventually struggling with PTSD three months after being discharged.<\/p>\n
\u201cI started doing drugs, I started hanging out with the wrong people, I got so involved in drugs that it became part of my life,\u201d said Martinez.<\/p>\n
Martinez says this ultimately landed him in prison for five years. When he got out, he assumed that was the end of it, but he was in for a rude awakening. He was being deported.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I got notified that you know they were going to pick me up to take me to a federal detention facility, I felt like fainting because I never thought that it would be possible,\u201d said Martinez.<\/p>\n
Under immigration law, a misdemeanor crime is enough for a non-citizen to be deported; and a judge cannot take a veteran’s service into account.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s actually not that uncommon, a Government Accountability Office report found that between 2013 and 2018, 250 veterans faced deportation, some for committing misdemeanor crimes, with 92 of them actually being deported.<\/p>\n
Under current policy, deported veterans can apply to return to the United States.<\/p>\n
Now living in Irapuato, Mexico, with his two children, Martinez says he\u2019s made peace with his past and occasionally visits the U.S.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you do good things, good things happen to you so I figure maybe in the future ill be bale to come back permanently or at least stay for as long as I want,\u201d said Martinez.<\/p>\n
As Kern County celebrates Veterans Day, it\u2019s important to remember the sacrifices from all veterans, including those who aren\u2019t able to live here.<\/p>\n
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