SCP is sharing a call to action from the ACLU of Southern California to protect immigrant veterans from deportation. In November, ACLU SoCal shared the story of Juan Quiroz, a U.S. Army veteran who was deported to Mexico in 2013. For nine years, Juan’s family spent half of the year in the U.S. and the other half with him in Mexico. In 2022, he was able to return home temporarily under a program created by the Biden-Harris administration. Yet, he remains “in limbo” without U.S. citizenship and faces the threat of being deported for a second time. His attorney has applied for a presidential pardon that would allow Juan to apply for citizenship and remain with his family.
Today, we want to share another story from ACLU SoCal. Jose Francisco (“Panchito”) Lopez is a U.S. Army veteran. His family moved to El Paso, Texas, in 1960 for the “American way of life.” In 1968, Panchito was drafted and deployed to Vietnam. After returning home from service, he had undiagnosed PTSD, which led to a drug-related offense, for which he spent nine years in prison.
“[My time in prison] helped me a lot,” Panchito said. “There was a priest that [helped me understand] what I’d done in Vietnam wasn’t my fault.”
In prison, he was informed that his offense meant he would be deported despite his service. He was deported to Mexico in 2003 at 60 years old. Years later, in 2017, Panchito met with fellow deported veterans at a support house. He went on to form the Deported Veterans Support House in Juarez, Mexico, which offers support to both deported veterans and DACA Dreamers.
In 2023, Panchito was temporarily allowed to return to the U.S. under the same Biden-Harris program that assisted Juan. SCP stepped in to help Panchito obtain humanitarian parole. Our Legal Director, Jennie Pasquarella, represents Panchito in his federal pardon request. Since returning home, he has received medical care for a heart condition that required pacemaker surgery. A pardon would mean life-saving care for Panchito, who is now 80 years old.
“I feel like I belong here,” he said. “I risked my life in Vietnam. I feel like an American, but I want to be a real one.”
You can take a stand against unjust deportations and permanent family separation. Visit the campaign to sign the petition calling on President Biden to grant federal pardon applications for veterans facing deportation again. Thank you for supporting this call to action from ACLU SoCal as they share incredible stories of hope and advocacy.