Use this button to switch between dark and light mode.

Meet the Deported Veterans: NPR

January 13, 2016 (1 min read)

Morning Edition, NPR, Jan. 13, 2016 - "Immigrants have always made up a portion of the Armed Forces in America — joining the U.S. military has always been one of the fastest ways to get U.S. citizenship. About 8,000 troops with green cards became citizens that way last year alone.  But it doesn't happen automatically. And veterans who did not go through the process of becoming citizens — they can be deported, if they get in trouble later on, just like any other noncitizen.  "Many people are unaware that the United States deports military veterans," says Margaret Stock, a former Army lieutenant colonel and an immigration lawyer.  Stock says immigrants have been enlisting since 1775, and it's always been a fast track to citizenship."