[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 19 (Monday, January 29, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H632]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  PROTECTING VETERANS FROM DEPORTATION

  (Ms. BARRAGAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. BARRAGAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce my guest for the 
State of the Union, Marco Chavez. Marco Chavez is a veteran who served 
this country honorably, came home, and was deported to Mexico.
  Mr. Chavez was born in Mexico. He was brought to California as an 
infant. He served in the Marine Corps as a lawful permanent resident 
before being deported. California Governor Brown granted him a full and 
unconditional pardon for a minor crime he had done, but he was 
separated from his family for 16 years.
  It is an injustice that our veterans can go and serve overseas and 
that this is how we treat them when they come home after serving this 
country, many of whom put themselves in harm's way. That is why I have 
introduced the Veterans' Pathway to Citizenship Act, which will make it 
easier for deported veterans to return to the United States and ensures 
that Active-Duty servicemembers don't leave the military without 
understanding their options for naturalization.

                          ____________________