[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 98 (Thursday, June 8, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H4804-H4805]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1700
                         HECTOR BARAJAS-VARELA

  (Ms. BARRAGAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. BARRAGAN. Madam Speaker, veterans shouldn't have to come home in 
a body bag to be recognized as Americans.
  Last weekend, I went, along with some of my colleagues, to Tijuana, 
Mexico, where we visited veterans who have served this country, who 
have picked up a weapon to go and fight in war to protect our freedoms. 
They survived, came home, and some of them were deported.
  Do you know that if you go and you fight overseas and you are not a 
citizen and you die, you get automatic citizenship?
  One of those people we saw this weekend is my constituent, Hector 
Barajas, from Compton. This is a photo of him. He was proudly still 
wearing his uniform. He was deported to Mexico after serving 5\1/2\ 
years in the U.S. Army, receiving two commendations.
  I am proud to cosponsor H.R. 1405, which would allow noncitizen 
veterans who have been deported to come home and come back to the 
United States. I hope that he gets to come back, too.

[[Page H4805]]

  

                          ____________________