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The deportation of Sergeant José Barco-Chirino, a 39-year-old Iraq veteran, wounded in combat, decorated with the Purple Heart and the son of Cuban exiles, has sparked a wave of questions, but also indignation in Arizona and beyond.
The case, already widely publicized, exposes the flaws of a immigration system that ended up expelling from the country someone who fought for it. At the same time, it highlights the question: how is it possible that a man recognized by the U.S. as a hero ended up being deported in the early hours?
Data obtained from Telemundo Arizona and Conecta Arizona, along with testimonies from veterans and activists, help to reconstruct how a former combatant ended up caught in a process that his own lawyers describe as “inhumane.”
A child in exile, an injured soldier, a lost file
José Barco arrived in the United States at just four years old, after his family legally immigrated from Venezuela. Previously, his relatives had fled Cuba following the exile of his father, a political prisoner. He grew up, studied, and enlisted in the army at the age of 17.
In Iraq, he participated in two deployments, and during one of them, he rescued two comrades trapped under a burning Humvee. That action cost him severe burns and a traumatic brain injury. The country awarded him the Purple Heart, a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces given to members who are injured or killed in combat against enemy forces.
But when he tried to apply for citizenship in 2006, from the war zone, his documents were lost. According to veteran Ricardo Reyes from Vets Forward, “his commander even sent a letter certifying that he submitted the forms. ICE responded that they had misplaced them.” Years later, he tried to regularize his status again, without success.
Barco's life shattered after returning from combat. Insomnia, episodes of post-traumatic stress, nightmares, and untreated emotional deterioration culminated in a tragic incident in 2008, when he fired a gun during a confrontation, injuring a young pregnant woman. He was convicted of attempted homicide and spent fifteen years in prison.
On the day of his release, January 21, 2025, ICE was already waiting for him.
How it ended up in the hands of ICE again
Barco's lawyers assert that the veteran fell into a migratory limbo that led to his deportation. Telemundo Arizona reported that he “stopped fighting his immigration case due to the deep frustration of remaining detained under inhumane conditions.” He even told his legal team that he would prefer “to return to war rather than continue facing the immigration system.”
ICE initially tried to deport him to Venezuela, but the country rejected him. Officials doubted his birth certificate and said that "he didn't sound Venezuelan."
His family feared that, due to his Cuban heritage and the history of persecution against his exiled father, Cuba would not be a safe option either. Still, ICE insisted.
Meanwhile, Barco described his despair from a detention center in Texas: “My service, my sacrifice, my bloodshed didn’t matter. I am basically a man without a country,” he told CNN.
Protests, pressure, and a country that "leaves its warriors behind."
His deportation sparked immediate protests in Phoenix. Veterans, activists, and lawmakers gathered outside ICE to demand an investigation and to halt the expulsions of former service members.
“It’s a blow to all veterans when even one is deported. When the nation abandons its warriors, it undermines the very values we vowed to defend,” said Reyes during the demonstration organized by Conecta Arizona. He added that Barco feared for his life and that “so far we don’t know which country he was transferred to.”
The activist and former legislator Raquel Terán was more direct: "A veteran with a Purple Heart was deported today at four in the morning. This country cannot afford to betray those who gave everything for it."
Local legislators also pointed to the deterioration of the immigration system under the Trump administration, which eliminated protective mechanisms for veterans. “When America needed José, he was there. Now that he needs his country, they turn their backs on him. That is not justice," denounced Representative César Aguilar.
After his expulsion, ICE claimed he had been taken to Nogales, Mexico. However, his family says they have no real confirmation. Activists argue that he may have been transferred to another border point or even to a third country. ICE officials in Arizona have refused to provide details, citing internal protocols.
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