SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A celebration for deported veterans who have returned to the U.S. was held on Saturday night at Don Diego VFW Post 7420 in Barrio Logan.
“I found out about this movement and that there was hope for me to come back home,” said Laura Meza.
Meza is an Army veteran who served in Iraq. After her service, she was deported to Costa Rica where she has spent the last 16 years. Just three months ago, in April, she returned to the U.S. through the help of a program started at Don Diego VFW Post 7420.
“They made it possible for me to come home with my family to have a normal family life,” said Meza.
Johnny Odom, a veteran himself, helped start the program two years ago.
“What they’re willing to do for this country…I’m willing to do whatever I can for them,” said Odom.
Odom explains they aim to help deported veterans by connecting them with legal resources to give them a path to citizenship.
“A lot of times those service members…they believe that through their service that they qualify and that they have met all the qualifications to be a citizen. But if they don’t complete the naturalization process and raise either hand to swear in, then they don’t become a citizen,” said Odom.
Odom says there are currently thousands of veterans who have been deported to dozens of countries – often because of a misdemeanor which automatically means deportation if a person is not a citizen. He explains what happened in Meza’s case:
“When she came home, she was struggling with PTSD really badly. She was in the medical field, so you can imagine what they go through during deployment. She came home and was really struggling and went through some legal issues. And the offense she committed was a deportable offense,” he said.
On Saturday, Meza stood alongside other deported veterans who were honored for their service during a special homecoming celebration.
