Hector Barrios, A Deported Disabled Vietnam Draftee Died Without VA Medical Benefits In Tijuana

Hector Barrios

Barrios had for years attempted to get his VA benefits for his disability,  but was not successful, even in death.

By H. Nelson Goodson

April 23, 2014

Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico - On Wednesday, a group of deported U.S. Veterans will provide a Military Funeral Honors for Sergeant Hector Barrios, 69, at his funeral service. Barrios passed away on April 21. His family, friends and fellow deported Veterans with honor his memory. 

Barrios family decided not to return his body to the U.S. for military funeral honors and to be buried at a government plot. Barrios will be cremated.  Only upon death do U.S. deported Veterans are allowed to return to the U.S. for burial honors and are provided a complimentary government burial plot.
Barrios had suffered from head injuries sustained during the Vietnam War. He was drafted by the U.S. government and served in the U.S. Army from July 1967 to July 1969. Barrios was sent to Vietnam from August 1968 to July 1969. While serving in the Vietnam conflict, he suffered head injuries from an explosive device and continued to suffer until his death without any Veteran Administration's (VA) medical benefits. He attempted to apply for benefits, but was unsuccessful. 

Barrios was a decorated Army Veteran, he earned the National Defense Ribbon, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal and Army Commendation Medal. Before his death, Barrios told another U.S. Deported Veteran Hector Barajas, who runs the Deported Veteran Support House in Tijuana that he wasn't one of those draftees that ran to Canada, Barrios was proud to serve in the military. Barrios who worked at a taco stand from 3 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. remained proud to have served in the U.S. Army and remained loyal to the U.S.

Barajas stated that, "Barrios, a greencard holder, was drafted to served in Vietnam, was promised citizenship, received several medals for his extraordinary service, and was severely injured by explosives just prior to the end of his enlistment.
His DD214 stated that he was a US citizen; he assumed he was.
He died waiting to return to the country he proudly served.
Like many other deported Vets, he was denied benefits and medical attention for his war-related injuries, physical and psychological."

Barrios in one of many deported U.S. Veterans that have been left without pension or medical benefits from the U.S. government. The VA offers certain benefits to U.S. Veterans that live abroad, but no information or statistics have been released to indicate that deported Veterans do receive such benefits, possibly because to date most don't receive them, even when applying.

According to an article in January 2013, the Military dot com quoted VA's spokeswoman Jo Schuda that deported U.S. Veteran's who already had VA medical benefits can apply for their continued benefits through the VA's Foreign Medical Program. Even deported Veterans eligible for educational benefits can apply as long the foreign educational institution is credible and accepted by the government. The earned service pension can still be sought by the deported Veteran, as to how many deported U.S. Veterans have taken advantage of these VA services is unknown, because most of those deported are not informed of their rights to continue to get VA earned pensions, medical benefits abroad and continued education.

Barajas claims, that his research has turned up between 3,000 to 30,000 of U.S. Veterans that have been deported since 1996. 

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the following estimates. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) removal services have deported 57 in 2009 and the deportations doubled every year. In 2010, 114 were removed, 228 in 2011 and so on, according to Barajas. He has personally identified about 200 U.S. Veterans heroes who were deported by ICE to 19 different countries.

Hector Barrios interview in Spanish at following video link: http://youtu.be/IGr-VlTWQdE

Funeral services for Hector Barrios will be held on Wednesday,  April 23, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. for wake and viewing time at:

Funeraria Nuevo Jerusalem
Calle Brasil 8411 INt 2324 Col Juarez , Tijana BC
Tel: 664-381-3632

For more info. about Barrios and the  Deported Veterans Support House, inquires should be directed to:

626-569-5491 U.S.
664-504-7592 Mex.

Contact: Spc. Hector Barajas Deported 82nd Abn. or

Fabian Rebolledo at 664-438-5587.

To donate to the Deported Veterans Support House go to following link: http://www.gofundme.com/6zumc0

Update:

U.S. Deported Veterans Impromptu Military Funeral Honor Guard for Hector Barrios on Wednesday were the following Veterans.

A U.S. flag was presented to Barrios sister by both Hector Barajas and Fabian Rebolledo. Ernie Aguilar called the commands.

Present Arms by Honor Guard!

● DANIEL OYARZABAL, US AIR FORCE/DEPORTED

● HECTOR LOPEZ, US ARMY/DEPORTED

● FABIAN REBOLLEDO, 82ND ABN/DEPORTED 

● HECTOR BARAJAS, 82ND ABN/DEPORTED

● ALEX MURILLO, US NAVY/DEPORTED

● TONY ROMO, US MARINE/DEPORTED

● AGUSTIN ABARCA, VIETNAM 1ST CAV DRAFTEE/DEPORTED

● RUBEN ROBLES, US ARMY/DEPORTED

● FERNANDO OROSCO, US ARMY/DEPORTED

● VICTOR HINOJOSA, US ARMY VIETNAM

● HANK RAMIREZ, US ARMY VIETNAM

● ERNIE AGUILAR, 1ST CAV 

Undocumented Immigrant Viacrucis Seeks To Stop Kidnappings, Extortions And Murders In Chiapas, Tabasco And Veracruz

Photos courtesy of Rubén Figueroa

A delegation of 20 undocumented immigrants from Central America, including immigrant rights activists and Viacrucis organizers met with the governor of Veracruz.

By H. Nelson Goodson

April 22, 2014

Amatlán de los Reyes, Veracruz, Mexico - On Monday, more than 1,000 undocumented immigrants from Central America involved in a tri-state (Chiapas, Tabasco and Veracruz) Immigrant Viacrucis departed from Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz to the municipality of Amatlán de los Reyes where a 20 member delegation met with Veracruz Governor Javier Duarte de Ochoa. The delegation requested for Governor Duarte de Ochoa to act and help stop the kidnappings, extortions and murders committed against undocumented immigrants riding La Bestia (Beast) freight train through Veracruz on their way to the U.S. border.

Veracruz and the region of Coatzacoalcos has become known as the capital of kidnappings and extortions, according to Franciscan Priest Tomás González Castillo, one of the Viacrucis organizers and director of La 72 Immigrant Refuge Shelter in Tenosique, Tabasco. Castillo says, that thousands of undocumented immigrants from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador who ride La Bestia through the state of Veracruz have become victims of kidnappings, extortion and murder by criminal groups, gangs and corrupt immigration officials along the train route. Most of those crimes committed against the undocumented immigrants have gone unpunished by Duarte de Ochoa's administration in Veracruz allowing criminal organizations to operate without impunity in Coatzacoalcos. 

Immigrants riding La Bestia fall victims of several gangs and criminal organizations operating in the tri-state area who charged between $100 to $300 dollars in quota to ride La Bestia train. Those who fail to pay the quota are thrown off the moving train, raped, stabbed or murdered.

Governor Duarte de Ochoa recently filed a complaint and lawsuit with the Mexican federal attorney general's office against both of La Bestia freight train operators, Ferrosur and the Kansas City Group for allowing undocumented immigrants to ride the train into Veracruz. Duarte de Ochoa claimed that both train operators should be held accountable for the major crimes perpetrated towards undocumented immigrants during the train route to Veracruz. But immigrant rights groups on the contrary say, that Duarte de Ochoa's administration has not prosecuted or investigated such crimes that have been reported and has lacked to provide any state police security or protection along La Bestia route to prevent such crimes.

Duarte de Ochoa promised the immigrant delegation to pursue criminal investigations and prosecutions against those who commit crimes against the undocumented immigrants. He also said that undocumented immigrants would be allowed to use the Veracruz public bus transit to safely travel through Veracruz without fear of becoming victims of further extortions by criminal groups, according to Ruben Figueroa, an immigrant rights activist from Movimiento Migrante Mesoamericano.

Last Thursday, the Immigrant Viacrucis began at the border in Naranjo, Guatemala with 50 immigrants and later increased to almost 500 when a group in Tenosique, Tabasco waiting at La 72 Immigrant Refuge Shelter joined the group. They were expecting to ride La Bestia from Tenosique to Palenque, Veracruz, but the freight train operators in protest of Duarte's recent lawsuit denied the immigrants access to the train. The Immigrant Viacrucis group than decided to walk to Veracruz stopping at immigrant refuge shelters at different cities and picking up more than 1,000 supporters along La Bestia route.

Fray Castillo and immigrant activists are advocating for government visas to allow legal transit of immigrants through Mexico and government protection of immigrants against violence resulting from extortions, murder, quotas, rape and forced prostition by local gangs known as Los Zetas, Mara Salvatrucha's (MS-13) and corrupt Mexican immigration agents, including local, state and Federal Police. 

Exploiting undocumented immigrants has become a multi-million dollar operation. An estimated 70,000 undocumented immigrants from South and Central America travel through Mexico on their way to the U.S. border every year.

Murder-Suicide Married Couple Involved Chicago Cop And Cook County Sheriff Officer

Javier Acevedo, Veronica Rizzo-Acevedo, Kimberlee J. Carmack and Ryan P. Anders

Easter Sunday murder-suicide involved two law enforcement officers that were married from the Chicago area.

By H. Nelson Goodson

April 20, 2014

Chicago, Illinois - On Sunday, police were called to the 5300 block of South Austin Avenue in Garfield Ridge shortly before 5:00 a.m. by someone at the residence after hearing gun fire inside the home. When police arrived, they discovered a murder-suicide involving a married couple in law enforcement. Police identified the murdered victim as Veronica Rizzo-Acevedo, 50, an 18-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department and the alleged killer, Javier Acevedo, 50, a 25-year veteran for the Cook County Sheriff's Office who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. 

Javier worked as a corrections officer in Division 8 Cook County jail who had been previously involved in a road rage incident in Berwyn and was under investigation by internal affairs, according to a source from the Cook County Sheriff's Office.

Veronica as a police officer had been awarded 23 department award citations during her career. Chicago police are treating the Acevedo murder-suicide case as a domestic violence incident.

In an unrelated murder-suicide in Indiana, last Thursday Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Sergeant Ryan P. Anders, 32, fatally shot his ex-wife Kimberlee J. Carmark, 45, a patrolwoman with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department before killing himself of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Officer Carmack was fatally shot in the head and chest.
Anders was on administrative leave after Carmack filed for a protective order on March 31st against him for domestic violence allegations that included 6 years of emotional, physical and sexual abuse. She also feared for her life. Carmack divorced Anders in October.
Anders was promoted to sergeant in 2011 and had been working in the department for nine years. Carmack had worked as undercover vice and had been working for the department for 20 years.

White House Won't Influence Justin Bieber's Deportation From U.S.

Justin Bieber

Bieber hasn't been convicted for any criminal act or sentenced to one year incarnation that would automatically put him on deportation status.

By H. Nelson Goodson

April 19, 2014

Washington, D.C. - The White House declined to comment on a "We the People" petition requesting for the U.S. government to deport pop star Justin Bieber, a Canadian national. More than 273,968 thousand petition signers seeking for the Obama administration to deport Bieber.

Bieber has been involved in several alleged criminal acts, but hasn't been convicted for a misdeamenor or a felony act. He holds an O-1 U.S. residency card afforded to exceptionally talented artists working in the country.

In January, Bieber was charged with one count of assault in connection with the December 30, 2013 beating of a limousine driver in Toronto.

Last year, Bieber was charged in Miami Beach, Florida with one count of driving under the influence (smoking marijuana and taking medication), resisting arrest and driving with a Georgia expired license for six months.
Bieber was facing felony vandalism charges in California for throwing dozens of eggs at a nieghbor's home causing thousands of dollars worth of damage. He was caught on video audio by the neighbor threatening to throw more eggs. The neighbor released Bieber's audio indicating he was also trespassing when he committed the vandalism.

A statement posted by the White House in response to the petition to deport Bieber cited immigration issues and broken down immigration system. "We need a smart, effective immigration system -- one that can keep up with the demands of a 21st century economy," according to the statement. The White House posted,  "Sorry to disappoint, but we won't be commenting on this one...to avoid the appearance of improper influence, the White House may decline to address certain procurement, law enforcement, adjudicatory, or similar matters properly within the jurisdiction of federal departments or agencies, federal courts, or state and local government in its response to a petition...Not only is it the right thing to do morally, it's the right thing for our country: Independent economists say immigration reform will grow our economy and shrink our deficits by almost $1 trillion in the next 20 years. For those of you counting at home, that's 12.5 billion concert tickets -- or 100 billion copies of Mr. Bieber's debut album."

Tenosique Viacrucis Participants Denied Access To Ride La Bestia Freight Train In Tabasco

Photo courtesy of Ruben Figueroa

Hundreds of undocumented immigrants gathered in Tenosique, Tabasco for their annual Viacrucis and started their pilgrimage by walking to Palenque, Chiapas.

By H. Nelson Goodson

April 17, 2014

Tenosique, Tabasco, Mexico - On Thursday, Franciscan priest Fray Tomás González Castillo, director of the La 72 Immigrant Refuge Shelter reported that more than 400 undocumented immigrants from Central America gathered at the shelter for the annual Viacrucis (Stations of the Cross) along the Bestia (Beast) freight train death route in Tenosique. The participants were expected to board La Bestia in the morning for a ride to Palenque, Chiapas, but the operators of the freight train refused to allow about 400 Viacrucis participants to take the ride, according to Rubén Figueroa, an immigrant rights activist from Movimiento Migrante Mesoamericano. Figueroa on his Facebook account posted that the operators of La Bestia refused to let the Viacrucis participants board the train in protest that the State of Veracruz Attorney General Luis Ángel Bravo Contreras and Governor Javier Duarte de Ochoa had filed a complaint and lawsuit against the operators, both the Ferrosur and the Kansas City Group of La Bestia for allowing undocumented immigrants ride the train into their state. 

Immigrants riding La Bestia fall victims of several gangs and criminal organizations operating in the tri-state area who charged between $100 to $300 dollars in quota to ride the train. Those victims that fail to pay the quota are either thrown off the moving train, shot or stabbed to death. 

The participants began their journey of the Station of the Cross (Viacrucis) at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday by walking to Chiapas, according to Figueroa. The Viacrucis organizers haven't decided, if they will also walk to the state of Veracruz.

The Viacrucis had began in Naranjo, Guatemala and those participating were transferred by vehicles to Tenosique where hundreds of immigrants await the arrival of the Viacrucis. The Viacrucis is expected to follow the death route of La Bestia through central Mexico.

Fray Castillo and immigrant activists are advocating for government visas to allow legal transit of immigrants through Mexico and government protection of immigrants against violence resulting from extortions, murder, quotas, rape and forced prostition by local gangs known as Los Zetas, Mara Salvatrucha's (MS-13) and corrupt Mexican immigration agents, including local, state and Federal Police. 

Exploiting undocumented immigrants has become a multi-million operation. An estimated 70,000 undocumented immigrants from South and Central America travel through Mexico on their way to the U.S. border every year.

La 72 Viacrucis 2014 video

76-year-old Husband Fatally Shot Wife For Nagging In Oak Creek

Jack Lang

Lang confessed that he shot his wife for nagging him for weeks and finally lost it.

By H. Nelson Goodson

April 17, 2014

Oak Creek, Wisconsin - On Wednesday, police responded to a call by Jack Lang, 76, from Oak Creek who later confessed of murdering his wife, June Lang, 75, for nagging him for several weeks. Police found his wife deceased in the bedroom with a fatal shot to the face at 1131 W. Wayland Drive around 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday. 

Lang told police that he finally lost it after she wouldn't stop nagging for stuff dealing with house repairs and his uselessness to clean the yard. Lang after killing his wife, attempted to commit suicide with a .22 Caliber handgun by shooting himself in the head, but just got grazed.

He explained to investigators, that he had warned her to stop nagging and that he had a loaded gun, which she wouldn't believe him. Lang got close to his wife who is legally blind and fired while she continued to nag him.

Lang also said, that while heading to the Patowatomi Bingo Casino to eat with some friends. She just began to nag, nag and nag. He felt sick and wanted to go home, but his wife got mad and continued to nag him.

While at home, Lang finally lost it, went to his room and loaded a handgun. He shouted at his wife to stop nagging or he would shoot her with a loaded gun. She didn't believe him until he just walked up to her and fatally shot her in the face, according to the criminal complaint.

Lang was charged on Thursday with one felony count for 1st-degree intentional homicide, if convicted he is facing life in prison. 

Hispanic News Network U.S.A. (HNNUSA) was contacted by Lang's grand daughter and stated, "I'm Jack Lang's grand daughter, my name is Hillary Lang. This article described the situation accurately, but has failed to acknowledge that he's had minor strokes and dementia the past few months. I've taken my grandpa Jack to a neurologist myself and they claimed he was okay, but they'd been putting him on too much medication.
This is not my grandpa, he loved my grandma June. This situation is absolutely heartbreaking and unexpected. Please have respect for our family and try to understand our horror and loss. Don't slander him, this is not the same man that helped raise me."

Suspect Sought For Attempted Homicide Behind D'Matrixx Salon Parking Lot

Police looking for a Hispanic male suspect involved in the shooting of a 22-year-old woman sitting in a vehicle behind a hair and spa salon parking lot.

By H. Nelson Goodson

April 17, 2014

Milwaukee, WI - Milwaukee police have released a composite of a Hispanic male suspected of attempted homicide for the shooting of a 22-year-old woman who sat in a vehicle behind the D'Matrixx Hair and Spa Salon parking near an alley. On March 22, the suspect approached the woman in the parking lot behind the spa salon located at the 4700 block of W. Forest Home Ave. at around 8:55 a.m. and fired multiple shots striking the woman. Neighbors heard between five to six shots fired.

The D'Matrixx spa salon was forced to close that day, but posted on Facebook that it had closed due to an electrical problem and didn't mention the shooting incident.

The 22-year-old woman was taken to a local hospital for non-life threatening injuries.  

The suspect is described as a Hispanic male, 5'6", 160 pounds, and between 25-35 years-old. He was last seen wearing a black waist-length jacket with a zipper, a gray shirt, black boot-cut type jeans, and black shoes. He was driving a 2005-2013 silver, four-door, Toyota Tacoma pick-up truck. The truck had an extended bed with a silver tonneau cover and a distinctive four-to-six inch white butterfly sticker on the rear window, according to police.

Anyone with information is asked to call Milwaukee Police at 414-935-7360.