U.S. Marine veteran faces deportation
Jose Segovia-Benitez (USMC)
A United States Marine Corps veteran who served a tour during Operation Iraqi Freedom was set to be deported to his native El Salvador this week, according to reports.
Jose Segovia-Benitez, of Long Beach, California, was in the Marines from 1999 to 2004, the Marine Corps Times reported. Federal authorities were set to deport him on Tuesday, his family said, but FOX 5 NY has not yet confirmed that.
After he left the Marine Corps, Segovia-Benitez was convicted of several felonies and served time in prison, according to marinecorpstimes.com. His family told media outlets that he should have been treated for post-traumatic stress disorder, which, they say, caused a change in his personality.
"He was honorably discharged, but unfortunately left with major symptoms of PTSD, hearing loss from one ear, and TBI," his mother, Martha Garcia, wrote on an online fundraiser set up for her son. "It would be a great injustice for my son to be sent away to an unknown land where he has no home or roots after putting his life on the line for his country."
The GoFundMe page had raised more than $5,000 as of Wednesday evening.
Segovia-Benitez, who was being held at an ICE facility in California, was a legal resident of the United States but not a citizen. Therefore, a felony conviction is grounds for deportation under federal law.
Segovia-Benitez hasn't lived in El Salvador since he was 3 and doesn't know anyone there, his family said.
"It is heartbreaking to see veterans who have sworn to protect America be exiled from it," Garcia wrote.
FOX 5 NY sent a message to Garcia through GoFundMe requesting comment. This story will be updated if she responds with more information.