The Contradiction of 'Service'
Let's follow the trail: THE CLAIM: A Military Veteran's Service Ignored Newsweek reported on Errol Lee, who served in the U.S. military and was deported to Jamaica in 2018. Lee arrived in the U.S. at age 12 in 1968, enlisted in the Army and served from 1974 to 1976. Despite this service and decades of residence, his criminal convictions rendered him deportable under U.S. law. The prevailing
narrative often connects military service with an implicit understanding of citizenship or at least a path towards it, projecting a sense of societal gratitude and inclusion. THE EVIDENCE: The Public Record of Discharges and Deportations The U.S. grants non-citizens the ability to serve in its armed forces. However, military service does not automatically confer citizenship, and individuals must
still naturalize. The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) of 1952, significantly amended over time, particularly under the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRAIRA) of 1996, expanded the categories of deportable offenses, including minor infractions and those committed decades prior. Critically, these provisions can apply retroactively to non-citizens, regardless of
military service or duration of residency. Data from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) indicates that between 2006 and 2017, the U.S. deported at least 250 veterans. The Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) reported in 2017 that thousands of non-citizen veterans were at risk of deportation. While precise numbers are difficult to ascertain due to data limitations, the trend is documented