ACLU-CA Confirmed, At Least Six Attorneys Will Provide Legal Assistance And Advocate For U.S. Deported Veterans To Return

U.S. deported Veterans in Tijuana will now get available legal assistance from the ACLU-CA, which will include policy advocacy change for their return to the country where they honorably served.

By H. Nelson Goodson

Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

December 16, 2015

Tijuana, Baja California, México - On Wednesday, Hector Barajas, the Director/Founder for the Deported Veterans Support House in Tijuana announced that the American Civil Liberties Union in California (ACLU-CA) has confirmed on Tuesday that it will assign a team of 6 attorneys to provide legal assistance and policy change advocacy for U.S. deported Veterans in Tijuana. According to Jennie Pasquarella from the ACLU-CA, she wrote to Barajas, the ACLU-CA will "...provide legal assistance, where possible, and work with you to advocate for pathways for individuals to return home to the United States to be reunited with their families and to push for broader policy reforms to ensure that veterans receive greater protections against deportation.

"We have identified two principal ways in which we believe we can work with the Deported Veterans Support House to provide legal and policy support. First, we can provide immigration legal assistance to individuals who may be eligible for:

- Post-conviction relief in California to enable them to reopen their immigration cases;
- U.S. citizenship based on military service; 
- Asylum; and
- Humanitarian parole based on medical need.

"Second, we would like to explore opportunities for policy advocacy, such as by writing a report documenting the many compelling stories of veterans who have been deported and making policy recommendations to the administration,including that individuals be allowed to return to the United States."

The ACLU-CA will do intake interviews with U.S. deported Veterans in Tijuana or from around the area on January 23, 2016. The ACLU-CA will also schedule appointments by phone for deported Veterans unable to attend for "intakes mainly to screen individuals for possible immigration relief in the categories mentioned above, as well as to document cases for a possible report (only with the individual's consent and participation)...All intake conversations will be subject to the attorney-client privilege and will be confidential."

The mission of the Deported Veterans Support House is to support deported veterans on their path to self-sufficiency by providing assistance in the realms of food, clothing, and shelter as they adjust to life in their new country of residence. Ultimately, we hope to see an end to the need of our services as we advocate for political legislation which would prohibit the deportation of United States service personnel, both former and current. We advocate for Veterans and their families.

For more info. contact: Hector Barajas Director and Founder Deported Veterans Support House at

U.S.: 626-569-5491
Mexico: 664-504-7592
Mexico: 664-329-1655

Banishedveteran@yahoo.com