A Life of Transitions

They chose to serve the military of a nation they were not from, and in some cases were among the first to give their lives in its defense.

Throughout history, immigrant veterans have returned from service to a nation still rife with anti-immigrant sentiment, confused about their place in society and the hatred that the people they had sworn to defend harbored for them.

The ugliness of the military to civilian transition process doesn't discriminate. All veterans are subject to the same difficulties of finding employment, dealing with service-related trauma and making sense out of life after service. Finding a new sense of purpose and source of fulfillment is one of the most complicated issues that new veterans face. But while everybody's background and motivation for joining the military are different, when they exit the military and return to civilian life they emerge with a shared identity — veteran.

Immigrant veterans face these same issues, with the exception of non-citizen immigrant veterans who face the additional challenges surrounding citizenship status. While this applies to a relatively small group of immigrant veterans, it is an issue that can upend the lives of those who have served honorably in the U.S. military.

Nonetheless, for immigrant veterans, the pride of being a veteran and their embrace of the veteran identity (more than their own ethnic identity in many cases) is clear. These are the stories of immigrant veterans who honorably served in the U.S. military and struggled to confront their new identity after entering back into civilian life. For some, that struggle would land them back in their native-born country, deported and fighting to get back to America.

Foreign-born soldiers have served in the U.S. military since the Revolutionary War

From Marquis de Lafayette to Joseph Pulitzer, foreign-born soldiers have been at the forefront of United States conflict since the inception of the nation. Irving Berlin, composer of "God Bless America," was himself an immigrant from Russia and veteran of WWI.

In WWI — a time of heightened immigration to the U.S. — almost one in five draftees was born overseas, and immigrants made up over 18% of the U.S. Army. The U.S. Army's 77th Infantry Division, commonly referred to as the "Melting Pot Division" in celebration of the diversity of its ranks, was where many of these immigrant soldiers served. The unit even adopted the Statue of Liberty as part of its insignia, and it is said that the unit's soldiers represented 50 nationalities and spoke 43 languages. Elements from the division made up the infamous "Lost Battalion" that was surrounded by German forces for five days during the Meuse-Argonne offensive in WWI. Six soldiers from the ranks of the 77th Infantry Division would go on to earn the Medal of Honor in WWII.

In 1948, the Department of Justice published a report that examined the "Foreign-Born in the United States During World War II, With Special Reference to the Alien." According to the report, "Of the 300,000 foreign-born persons who entered the Army between July 1, 1940, and June 30, 1945, over 109,000 were noncitizens." The report went on to say that "The foreign born are a special group and their role in the armed forces may best be considered in terms of certain special limitations and conditions that prevailed."

According to the Migration Policy Institute, over 760,000 non-citizens have enlisted and obtained U.S. citizenship through military service in the past 100 years. Today there are roughly 530,000 foreign born veterans of the U.S. military, and 1.9 million veterans are children of immigrants to the U.S.

"I felt like this country gave me an opportunity to go to school, to have medical insurance, to have a plate on my table to eat and I'm very grateful for that," said Alfredo Garcia Rodriguez, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who immigrated to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic. "So I decided which way I could give back to my community and to my country and I decided to join the military," added Rodriguez.

For many around the world, an opportunity to live in the United States is something that will never materialize outside of a dream. For some of those who do make it, each day is lived with the worry that they will be forced to leave. But for countless immigrants searching for a pathway to citizenship, the military has offered solace. As of 2018, 83% of immigrant veterans were naturalized citizens.

So what about the 17% who are not yet naturalized citizens? Many of those veterans were surprised to find out that they weren't U.S. citizens and were under the impression — or were explicitly told by recruiters — that they would be granted citizenship upon enlistment. Some were taken in with forged citizenship documentation and later discharged as non-citizens.

Others were just too busy during their time in the military to pursue citizenship. During the more active years of the Global War on Terror, many non-citizen service members were deployed in combat more than they were home in the U.S. "We were just too busy; deploying, doing this, doing that," said said Enrique Villa, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico. Villa enlisted in the Marines two weeks after 9/11 and participated in the invasion of Iraq. Between training, and a second deployment to Iraq, Villa had to put his hopes of citizenship on hold. "It was kind of fast, so the four years were pretty fast," said Villa. "We really didn't have any downtime to go through that [naturalization]," added Villa. He wouldn't apply for his citizenship until a year after being discharged from the Marines.

It's complicated.

Hector Barajas left Mexico in 1987 with his family, in search of a better life across the border in America.

He joined the U.S. Army at 17-years-old with the permission of his parents. He thought he would get citizenship automatically for joining the military — at least that's what the recruiters told his parents.

Barajas joined the military for many of the same reasons as most other young adults. "I just wanted to serve my country, get away from the environment that I was in, promises of citizenship, promises of an education and a way out of getting out of the city I was in," said Barajas. "I wanted to be G.I. Joe," added Barajas.

Barajas would go on to honorably serve over five years in the Army as a Patient Administration Specialist.

Two years after his discharge from the Army he would be deported to Mexico.

One challenge that American-born veterans don't face is the risk of deportation. Like Barajas, once non-citizen veterans are discharged, the process of obtaining citizenship must be initiated and can take years to complete. During that time, the risk of deportation can be a valid fear — veteran or not.

A challenge that is universal to all transitioning veterans though, is the struggle of finding employment and a new sense of purpose upon exiting service. This has to do with the identity that service members develop while in the military and carry with them after separating from service. When service members become veterans, this transitioning of identities from military member to veteran can sometimes delay them seeking critical veteran benefits and returning to a sense of normalcy. It is rarely a clean break between success in service life and success in civilian life.

For those who have immigrated to a new country and have experienced the life-changing transition that comes along with that, transitioning from the military may not be such a foreign experience. While this doesn't make it easier for immigrant veterans, the two transitions do have some parallels. Critical life decisions like finding a place to live, a place to work, a school for their children and wondering how they will adapt to the new culture are common to the transition processes of both immigrants and veterans.

"When a service member leaves the military and rejoins the civilian community, they are like an immigrant," said Castro. "The military is its own culture. It's not a sub culture," added Castro. This is an important distinction, because it plays a large part in how service members reintegrate into the civilian population after service. Aside from the fact that — like immigrants — service members have to find new schools, new employment and a new place to live, they also have to figure out how they meld their various identities together.

Castro has been studying the military to civilian transition process for seven years and has worked with the international community to try and reform and improve the transition process for all veterans. This involves conducting detailed research on how service members think and identify themselves in broader society. While some might expect that ethnic minority and immigrant veterans (some fitting into both categories) would first and foremost identify as such, the data suggests otherwise. A 2018 study on ethnic and veteran identity that Castro participated in found that "Overall, White, Black, and Latino veterans identified more with the veteran group than their own racial/ethnic group." The report also found that "When they [veterans] transition into civilian life, this past choice [service] continues to define their current self-concept."   

However, Castro still believes that immigrant veterans are a vulnerable group and points out that regardless of military service, immigrant veterans are susceptible to the same prejudices that the rest of their ethnic group faces.

But while immigrant veterans are vulnerable if they fit into historically discriminated ethnic groups, they're also vulnerable because of their veteran status. In fact, many immigrant veterans have reported a higher level of discrimination based on veteran status than immigrant or ethnic minority status. This is largely due to the fact that some Americans perceive veterans as a liability due to negative stigma surrounding PTSD.

In addition to studying identity, Castro's 2018 study also examined discrimination. The study found that "A higher proportion of White, Black, and Latino veterans attribute unfair treatment among helping professionals owing to their veteran status (as opposed to their racial/ethnic group)."

The military's answer to service member transition

In 1991 the federal government created the Transition Assistance Program (TAP). The program was meant to teach transitioning service members skills that they would need to be successful once they left the service. These skills include things like resumé writing, financial planning and orientation to important resources. The program received criticism due to the fact that it wasn't a requirement to be completed by any branch of service aside from the U.S. Marine Corps. This eventually led to the VOW To Hire Heroes Act of 2011 being signed into law by President Barack Obama. The act required service members from all branches of the military to successfully complete TAP in order to be discharged. It also attempted to address the issue of job placement by connecting veterans with private companies and VSOs. Still, some say it isn't enough.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) also offers many resources on transitioning from the military. The problem is, many veterans aren't seeking these resources out before being discharged. For many, they're disgruntled with their experience in the military and want to get out as quickly as possible. "This is the mindset we have when we put soldiers through TAP — angry and pissed off. Do you think you're in a good learning state when you're angry and pissed off?" asked Castro. "This is a very common reaction and it can get in the way of them accessing veterans benefits, VA benefits," added Castro.

Many criticize TAP for measuring the wrong outcomes. For example, landing a job before being discharged is not a requirement.

As for veterans who have been deported, until 2018 there was no way for these veterans to access resources. Now, deported veterans in Mexico have the ability to access critical VA benefits through the VA center in Tijuana.

Hector never should have been deported

"Hector never should have never been deported — but he didn't have a good lawyer helping him," said Margaret Stock, an immigration lawyer and U.S. Army veteran. Stock is also the brains behind the Military Accessions Vital To National Interest (MAVNI) program. The program — meant to recruit non-citizens with special skills into the military and provide a route to citizenship — ran from 2009 until 2016 when it was frozen to new applicants. The program was responsible for putting over 10,000 immigrants with vital skills into the U.S. military, to include some Olympic athletes.

Since Stock left the military, she founded the American Immigration Lawyers Association Military Assistance Program (AILAMAP), which offers legal assistance to immigrant service members who need help and aren't getting the answers they need from the military. "I was becoming the free legal assistance for the entire military for immigration problems and I didn't have the capacity to handle it," said Stock. So after speaking with the president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, they set up a pro bono program to help immigrant service members and veterans. Since the program's inception, they've been flooded with requests. From seeking citizenship to help with avoiding deportation, AILAMAP handles it all.

In October of 2019, Barajas and Stock both testified before the United States House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship about Department of Defense (DOD) policy changes negatively impacting immigrant service members.

When speaking of his service, Barajas feels that immigrant service members and veterans are often underappreciated. "I feel like I've gone above and beyond and have proven that I'm an American. Most Americans won't ever serve the country or put their life on the line," said Barajas. He says that even though he's served, he is still made to feel like he needs to prove himself to others to gain legitimacy in their eyes. "It can be frustrating. Especially when you've done what others won't do. I feel I've earned my place," said Barajas.

Barajas was also able to advocate for a San Diego Vet Connect station across the border in Tijuana, Mexico. In March 2020, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors approved the project, providing a resource for deported veterans to receive critical federal benefits.

While recent DOD policy changes make it difficult for immigrant service members to gain citizenship through service, more is being done than ever to advocate for change and ease restrictions. The National Immigration Forum has started the Veterans for New Americans program to help advocate for policy change that would make citizenship easier for immigrant service members to attain. Margaret Stock is one of the co-chairs of that program, and testified alongside Barajas in 2019 about the negative impacts of recent policy changes.

Because of frequent policy changes by various administrations, guidelines and resources surrounding non-citizens gaining citizenship through service are a moving target and naturalization rates have significantly declined in recent years. Due in part to those policy changes, immigrants are now viewing the pathway to citizenship through service as a less attractive option. "Where in the past, immigrants may have seen this [the military] as a way to get legal status and to get it fairly quickly, now they're recognizing that there may be other avenues outside of the military that are going to be much quicker," said Dan Kosten, Assistant Vice President of Policy and Advocacy at the National Immigration Forum.

The merging of identities

While immigrant veterans serve for many of the same reasons as their American-born peers and experience many of the same difficulties upon transitioning, they do have some unique challenges. For those who are not U.S. citizens when they are discharged from the military, the threat of deportation and loss of access to veteran benefits is real. And while that population is small — relative to the overall number of immigrant veterans who have served — deporting any veteran after honorable military service sends a mixed message.

The struggle to navigate the complexities of post-service life knows no boundaries. It knows no color, no race and no ethnic background. The military to civilian transition process is an experience that sets the tone for a service member's life as a veteran, and how they will incorporate their newfound identity. For many immigrant veterans, this is their proudest and hardest-earned identity, maybe more than any other.