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Purple Heart veteran in Arizona deported by ICE
A Purple Heart recipient who served two tours in Iraq has been deported from Arizona on the morning of Nov. 14. The man was born overseas, and moved legally to the U.S. when he was a kid. FOX 10's Brian Webb reports.
PHOENIX - A Purple Heart combat veteran was deported on the morning of Nov. 14 from Arizona.
"We have a veteran who was deported today, at four in the morning," said Former State Rep. Requel Teran. "A Purple Heart veteran."
What we know:
According to activists, 39-year-old Jose Barco was taken from an ICE facility in Florence, and flown out of the country.
What we don't know:
Activists say they do not know where Barco was sent, and what he will do when he gets to the destination.
Deportation marks new chapter in complicated saga
The deportation is the latest in a long story involving Barco.
"I’m heartbroken every day, frankly, because of what’s happening in our community," said one immigration activist.
The backstory:
Barco's family fled Cuba as refugees, and they first went to Venezuela, where Barco was born. He came to U.S. legally with his family when he was four. and enlisted in the U.S. Army at 17.
During his time in the Army, Barco was deployed to Iraq twice. He applied for citizenship while overseas, but was told his paperwork was lost.
After he was severely injured in an explosion that involved an improvised explosive device (IED), Barco received a Purple Heart.
"Jose was on fire as he lifted this truck off of his fellow soldiers, and dragged them to safety," said Ricardo Reyes, Executive Director for Vets First.
Dig deeper:
When Barco returned to the U.S. from his overseas stint, he began suffering from PTSD, and spent years in prison on attempted murder charges for firing a gun into a group of teenagers at a house party in Colorado Springs, Colo. in 2008, and hitting a 19-year-old pregnant woman in the leg.
Barco was sentenced to 52 years in prison, but was released after 15. When he left prison one day after President Trump's inauguration. ICE agents were waiting. He was ultimately sent on Veterans Day to the ICE facility in Florence.
After fighting his deportation several times, friends, family, and activists say Barco finally gave up.
What they're saying:
"The treatment that Jose injured in detention has been so cruel and so inhumane, that even after serving 15 years in prison and going to war, he said more than once he would much rather be in war on that day, or in prison, than being in ICE detention," said Vets Forward Executive Director Ricardo Reyes.
Meanwhile, Barco's family and friends are afraaid he will be sent to either Cuba or Venezuela, even though he has no ties to either country anymore.
The other side:
We have reached out to immigration enforcement for a statement on Barco’s deportation. They responded with a statement that reads, in part:
"Barco was released after serving time for a conviction of attempted murder, extreme indifference, and felony menacing with a real or simulated weapon. He was removed to Nogales, Mexico this morning, Nov. 14."
The Source: Information for this article was gathered by FOX 10's Brian Webb.