On Thursday morning, a small group of advocates gathered outside the United States federal courthouse in San Diego, California.One of them pointed to a poster of a young man in a US Navy uniform, three golden medals pinned to his chest.”This is my brother, Benito Miranda Hernandez, US Navy veteran,” said James Smith, the founder of Black Deported Veterans of America.Smith and the other advocates had organised the demonstration on behalf of Hernandez, who was miles away at that moment, stuck in an immigration detention facility.Brought from Mexico to the US as a baby, Hernandez had completed three tours of duty with the US military during the Iraq war. His military service was meant to be his path to citizenship.But now, Hernandez is among the immigrant veterans fighting deportation under US President Donald Trump.”These men and women were promised that they were going to get their citizenship if they served,” Smith said. “Help this brother come home.”Trump has pledged to prioritise immigrants with criminal records in his push for mass deportation.But advocates for US military members argue that veterans are particularly vulnerable, given their over-representation in prisons and jails. The majority have reported suffering from mental health problems after their service.Hernandez, for instance, said he struggled to reint …
