Meeting Robert Ramirez, a Deported U.S. Veteran, in Tijuana
Robert Ramirez in the Unified U.S. Deported Veterans Resource Center in Tijuana, Mexico
Meeting a U.S. Deported Veteran in Tijuana
On the morning of June 27, I visited the Unified U.S. Deported Veterans Resource Center in Tijuana. The Resource Center occupies a small storefront a short walk away from the international border, but it plays a large role in the lives of U.S. veterans deported to Mexico.
Approximately 94,000 US armed forces veterans are non-citizens, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, which makes them vulnerable to deportation for certain infractions including drug offenses and accumulated misdemeanors. The Resource Center estimates that 50 deported vets live in Tijuana alone. However, the number of veterans deported to Mexico is difficult to know exactly, as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) does not keep track of the veterans among those it deports.
At the Resource Center, I met one of those deported veterans, Robert Ramirez, who served in the U.S. Army from 1991-1999. Ramirez recently applied to the Department of Homeland Security for humanitarian parole which would allow him to reenter the U.S. after more than 12 years living in Mexico. He was attempting to take advantage of a procedure for parole opened up by an executive order by Joe Biden in 2021. But his case was denied in April.
Ramirez was born in Mexico but came with his parents to California as a two-year-old. After receiving an honorable discharge, he worked in corrections, in police reserves, and then spent 11 years working with the U.S. Postal Service. During that time, he managed to accumulate three misdemeanors, phone harassment, petty theft, and charges resulting from a bar fight.
Those three misdemeanors, he found out when applying for citizenship in 2010, were enough to get him deported. He was forced to spend the next two years in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention while fighting his case. He had been planning with his girlfriend to get married at the time.
“I messed up: when I applied for citizenship, I should’ve applied for another green card,” he said. “I should have had an attorney representing me, but I don't know anything about immigration law.”
In 1996, during the Clinton administration, U.S. law was toughened to include around 30 deportable offenses for immigrants. Robbery and drug crimes were included in this list.
The Challenges for Deported U.S. Vets Living in Mexico
The challenges that Ramirez found trying to find a foothold in Mexico were daunting. He was deported from the border town of Nogales, Arizona, far from his family in California. Once deported, he needed to rely on his Spanish language skills which, at least at that point, were not quite there. Heavily accented or broken Spanish is often referred to as mocho in Mexico, and speaking it is sometimes seen as an invitation for abuse.
“Mocho is like, not even, right. The reason why I mentioned that is because when the cops pull me over, they'll be like, hey, heh …” he said.
He was fortunate that he had an aunt who lived in Guadalajara. He was also able to secure a mortgage to find a home in Cancun, where he still lives. However, the call center jobs that he was able to find paid very little. at least in comparison to what he could’ve earned in the U.S. Other challenges for deported veterans, besides the low pay, include the fact that cartels actively recruit former US servicemen to fill their ranks and demand protection money from businesses.
Robert Vivar, the co-director of the Unified U.S. Deported Veterans Resource Center, dedicates much of his time to helping deported veterans like Ramirez.
On the morning of June 27, at the Resource Center, Vivar spoke about helping deported veterans reestablish their legal residence in the US. The chance for veterans to apply for this humanitarian parole was established by Joe Biden’s Executive Order 14012: Restoring Faith in Our Legal Immigration Systems and Strengthening Integration and Inclusion Efforts for New Americans (IMMVI).
“Since the creation of the program, we've had about 170 deported veterans that have been Patriot deported veterans and military family members, about 170, only about 30 of them have been able to gain their citizenship and about another 20 legal permanent residence,” Vivar said.
The remaining repatriated veterans and military veterans who have been repatriated remain in the U.S. only with temporary humanitarian parole, that has to be resubmitted every year. It is a time-consuming process, involving a lot of cumbersome paperwork.
“We help them establish their legal residence, but also to obtain the very much needed medical and mental health care that they deserve,” he continued.
An Uncertain Future
But a good outcome for deported veterans, who have applied through this program, is not guaranteed.
“The issue right now is that we don't know with this new administration if they're going to renew those parole services,” Vivar said.
Indeed, the future of this program is increasingly in doubt. Trump has officially revoked Biden’s executive order and dismantled its parole authority for non-citizen and deported veterans. While court rulings have partly halted elements of the rollback—requiring DHS to continue processing renewals and applications for veteran-related parole for now—ongoing litigation and legal developments may bring the program to a halt.
As for Ramirez, who keeps tabs on developments north of the border, I sensed a great deal of frustration.
“We already know if you don't have the magic word citizen next to your name, then they’re telling you you’re basically open to be grabbed and taken back,” he said.
