An Estimated 230 Plus Veterans Have Been Deported from the U.S.

Rep. JoaquÃ­n Castro of Texas will travel to Mexico with a delegation of Democrats, all members of the Hispanic Caucus, to meet with deported U.S. veterans.

The meeting is scheduled for the weekend after Memorial Day at the Deported Veterans Support House known as the â€œBunkerâ€ in Tijuana, Mexico. â€œMany of us believe that they should be allowed to become citizens,â€ Castro, the 1st Vice-Chair of the Caucus leading the trip, told NBC Latino.

â€œMany, if not most, were legal permanent residents, who were eligible to become citizens and perhaps never applied,â€ he continued. â€œThey stood up for their country and put their lives on the line.â€

Itâ€™s estimated that over 230 military veterans have been deported from the United States, the focus of the trip. The Hispanic Caucus further hopes to bring attention to the need for â€œa more rigorous process to ensure legal residents recruited with promises of citizenship are naturalized,â€ NBCâ€™s report read.

Currently, legal permanent residents who are veterans and commit certain crimes, including those committed in the past, are eligible for deportation.Â

Castro acknowledged to NBC that it would be more difficult to change the laws allowing veteran deportation under the Trump administration, which he’s been a vocal critic of:

1. After attending the ICE meeting it’s hard not to conclude that President Trump has started his mass deportation plan. â€” Joaquin Castro (@JoaquinCastrotx) February 16, 2017

The Texas Democrat believes, however, â€œthere is a strong bipartisan support among Americans to do right by these veterans.â€Â

â€œWe would ask the administration to consider the service these veterans have rendered for the country,â€ he said. â€œAnd the fact that they did put their lives on the line.â€

Castroâ€™s office estimates that 10,644 non-citizens were serving in the U.S. military as of January, with another 11,524 non-citizens in the Reserves.

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