How many are they? It is difficult to know. At least 3,000 and possibly as many as 30,000 according to the organization “Banished Veterans.” They are members of all branches of the U.S. Military who serve or have served the U.S. and face deportation or have been deported, especially to Mexico. Born in Mexico and a protagonist of Walking Wounded, Wendy Barranco is a U.S. naturalized citizen and veteran who was deployed to Iraq as a combat medic at the age of 19. She recently traveled to Tijuana, Mexico, where she conducted interviews for an ethnographic research project. The United States need to hear about these vets. Raise questions, break the paradigm of the good/bad immigrant. The goal is to get them home. Currently they are working on getting medical treatment because they are dying of easily treatable illnesses like TB and others.
The organization is Deported Veterans Support House, currently under Veterans for Peace 501(c)3.
One of the many reasons I am a proud Veteran member of Veterans for Peace, and a fan of Ms. Barranco’s tireless organizing work. She’s been fighting the good fight ever since I’ve known her, and this work is profound in that she’s advocating for those thrown away by the empire after they were exploited into helping oppress other brown people.
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