Obama Administration Should Open U.S. Veterans Pension And Medical Benefits Claim Clinics At Major Border Crossings

Deported U.S. Veteran heroes and patriots automatically lose earned service pension and medical benefits illegally, but in order to claim them, thay have to be in the country.

By H. Nelson Goodson

April 5, 2014

El Paso, Texas - To date, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is illegally holding the earned service pensions and medical benefits of U.S. Veteran heroes and patriots who were honorably discharged, but were deported to other countries for various felonies or minor crimes. Once the deported Veterans arrived at their original birth country, they are left without any recourse to collect their earned pensions or medical benefits from the U.S. government. 

They are eligible to collect those benefits, but have to claim them in U.S. soil. Not possible, due to the severe illegal re-entry sentences imposed on deported Veterans. 

The Obama administration should open up VA intake clinics at major U.S. border crossings to allow deported U.S. Veteran heroes to claim lost earned service pensions and medical benefits at the border.

Thousands of U.S. Veterans that have been deported for decades are left without means of support or medical benefits to deal with medical issues sustained while in service or afterwards.

On Friday, Hector Barajas, a deported U.S. Veteran posted on his Facebook account, that he has an appointment with the Veteran's Administration,  but since he has a life time deportation,  he cannot apply for his service pension legally. 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.

In one case, Orlando Castañeda, who did one tour in Iraq was deported by ICE for not renewing his work permit, Barajas posted in his Facebook account. Castañeda was left with no recourse to apply of earned Veteran's benefits. 

The DHS reported on some deported U.S. Veterans,  but DHS and ICE don't actually keep track or statistics of Veterans who were previously deported or are scheduled to be deported today. Why? The DHS and ICE should be held accountable and should be forced to report those deported U.S. Veterans to the Veteran's Administration to make sure, that they can get their earned service pensions and medical benefits wherever they're deported too.

Only upon death, a U.S. Deported Veteran can return to the U.S. and be buried at a government military cemetery. The government provides a headstone, plot and honorary burial ceremony for their honorable service to the country.
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.