Deported Vet Granted US Citizenship Prepares for Homecoming

The first deported veteran to get naturalized as a U.S. citizen will have his swearing-in ceremony in front of friends and family in San Diego Friday morning.Hector Barajas-Varela, a six-year Army veteran, was granted citizenship two weeks ago after being given a full pardon by Governor Jerry Brown in 2017 for crimes that led to his deportation in 2010. San Ysidro School District Names New Superintendent During his eight years living in Tijuana, Barajas-Varela worked directly with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in San Diego to launch a health clinic for other deported veterans.Through the clinic, he helped dozens of veterans receive benefits, including psychological exams, employment counselors and help from lawyers. Mayor’s 2019 Budget Includes Record Infrastructure Funding For the last two weeks, Barajas Varela has been settling his affairs in Tijuana and preparing for his reunion with loved ones.“Right now, it’s just a lot of packing and my mind is just distracted from everything that’s going on,” Barajas-Varela said at his going away party Thursday night. “I’m very excited that I finally get to go home and be with my family.” Rescuers Find Body of Boy Swept by Current on Rosarito Beach Barajas-Varela said it all probably won’t feel real until Friday morning when he’ll realize he’s the first deported veteran to become a U.S. citizen.Other deported veterans, and veterans stateside awaiting deportation, are hoping to follow in his footsteps.“Now finally we can say yes, he has opened the doors for the other veterans,” said Manuel Valenzuela, a veteran facing possible deportation. He vowed to Barajas-Varela that he would make it to San Diego for his arrival and made the trip from Colorado Springs to follow through on the promise he made nine years ago when the two first met.“I promise you I’ll be there to salute you, shake hands and hug you and say welcome back home, brother,” Valenzuela told him.Manuel told NBC 7 he’s kept in touch with Barajas-Varela over the years. He said that after the ceremony they’ll go to church together.Barajas-Varela was born in Zacatecas, Mexico, and arrived in the U.S. with his parents when he was 7. He grew up in the United States and enlisted in the Army in 1995. He received numerous accolades and awards, including the Army Commendation Medal and Humanitarian Service Medal. He was honorably discharged in 2001.Following his service in the Army, Barajas-Varela said he had difficulty adjusting to civilian life. He became addicted to drugs, and in 2002, was sentenced to two years in prison and nearly a year in detention after he pleaded no contest to shooting at an occupied vehicle.Once released, he was placed in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), who deported him to Nogales, Sonora.In an interview with the Associated Press, Barajas-Varela said that he was unable to adjust to life in Mexico, a country he was unfamiliar with, and made his way back into the U.S. before being deported again in 2010.Photo Credit: NBC 7
Source: NBC San Diego