Troubled Vets ‘ICEd,’ Booted From US

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May 26, 2010
Military.com|by Bryant Jordan

A former Marine and Gulf War veteran may soon be boarding a flight to Jamaica -- the ticket cost picked up by the U.S. government.

But Rohan Coombs, who came to the U.S. from Jamaica as a child, is not looking forward to the return trip. He's being deported.

Coombs is not alone. By some estimates, 3,000 to 4,000 veterans are awaiting deportation, and the deportations have been going on since a 1996 law made it easier for the U.S. to boot out foreign nationals, including legal permanent residents – “green-card” holders – who served in the military if they commit crimes. Collectively, they've been dubbed "Banished Veterans" by those who say that vets – even those who have committed crimes – deserve better than to be booted from the country they served.

http://www.military.com/news/article/troubled-vets-iced-booted-from-us-.html?ESRC=eb.nl

I don't think this topic can be reasonably addressed with a short, snappy comment.

For an adult who comes here, enlists, then commits a crime, I think deportation may be warranted. But how does a man who came here as a child and then enlists fail to get his citizenship? He should have plenty of time and opportunity to do so.

Probably one answer doesn't fit all.
 
I don't think this topic can be reasonably addressed with a short, snappy comment.

You would be right if there was a violent act committed, etc. But there isn't in the above case. He was selling pot. There's my snappy comment. Take it for what it is worth.

Coombs, who arrived in the U.S. at age 9, slipped into some bad ways after he was discharged from the Marine Corps in 1994, says his fiancée, Robyn Sword of Stanton, Calif. In March 2008, she said, Coombs was arrested for selling marijuana. Shagin said the charge is considered trafficking, one of the offenses ICE may use to begin deportation proceedings.
...
The Banished Veterans site includes stories of veterans dating back to the Vietnam War era who have been deported already or are facing deportation because of certain crimes, many of them related to drug use after they left the military.

One is former Army Spc. Rudi Robinson. Born Udo Ackermann to a German prostitute and an African-American soldier in 1955, he was adopted by the Robinsons, another African-American GI and his wife, at age 3. Robinson didn't learn that he was adopted until he was 17, just before going into the Army. He had legal problems in the Army that resulted in a court-martial, he said, but then straightened out and finished off his time with an honorable discharge.

But later troubles with drugs and petty theft resulted in jail terms and, after serving time in 2003, he was deemed deportable under the 1996 law and sent to Germany. He didn't speak the language and by then he had lived in the United States for more than 40 years. Today, Robinson operates a shelter Streetlytes, a charity he founded in 2007 that provides food, clothing and emotional support to London's homeless.

His success aside, Robinson believes it was just wrong to deport him from the only country he ever knew, depriving him of years with his children and grandchildren. His father died and he was not able to come back for the funeral. He faces the same prospect when his mother, now 89, dies.

"I don't want to come out like a victim. I'm a survivor," he said. "I turned my life around. I just want the opportunity to go back and see my kids. I would like to have my U.S. citizenship. I believe I deserved it a long time ago. I believe I should have had it when I was adopted by American parents."
 
You would be right if there was a violent act committed, etc. But there isn't in the above case. He was selling pot. There's my snappy comment. Take it for what it is worth.


...

It's still a short, snappy comment. But consider this for a moment. No matter what your feelings are about the subject, it's still a crime. Just how much does being a vteran excuse you from?

And there are almost certainly more serious crimes among the other 3-4,000 people who are covered by the report.
 
At first when I read this, I thought that it was a no brainer. The guy should stay. When I thought about it, I realized that the guy was in jail for EIGHT months for a pot conviction. You don't get eight months for getting caught smoking a joint. That kind of punishment only comes with a serious charge of intent to distribute and the person would have to be caught with a very substantial amount at that to be given eight months after pleading guilty (and this is considering the laws of a conservative state.) He was in California, the most liberal state in the nation for marijuana usage and laws. He was a drug dealer. Maybe he should just be sent back to school for being stupid... why would you sell Marijuana in a state where you can get it legally?

I'm not saying that this Marine should be deported, but I will say that you shouldn't be blinded by the fact that he was a Marine. He was also a drug dealer. People are dying pretty much every day on our border because of the drug cartels importing this crap into our country.

Just something to keep in mind.
 
I think there is probably more to this story than spelled out here or in the original linked article.

According to the Imperial Valley Press, "Coombs, of Tustin, has been arrested on drug charges three times and was dishonorably discharged from the military the second time he enlisted (he was honorably discharged after his first stint)."


http://www.ivpressonline.com/articles/2010/05/08/crime_and_consequences/border/988.txt
 
My best friend was in a similar situation, minus the crime. He joined the guard in 2003, and deployed with me. He served till 2007, honorably discharged, 2 deployments, et al. He is half korean. Born there, raised here. He FINALLY got his citizenship, after almost 2 years of trying. Honestly, for those who serve, there HAS to be a better way. I really dont understand the policy of why we allow people who arent citizens to serve-and then not offer them citizenship. Perhaps its time to look at this policy.
As for committing a crime-thats a different story. You are, at that point, a criminal.
 
He was discharged honorably from the Marine Corps in 1994. He never applied for citizenship when he could have. Tough Shit for him!
 
I look at this a couple of ways. Yes, he is a criminal and and any alien criminal should be deported.

On the other hand, I have a real hard time turning my back on veterans. Especially wartime vets. I am not saying to give him a break. He should pay his debt to society (ie: prison, service, etc.) then it is our responsibility to help him try to get back on the right track.

Maybe he went down this path because of metal illness caused by PTSD. Maybe pot is the only thing that helps him. Pot then leads to other thing. It doesn't make it right, but it is our duty to at least try and help. Look at how F'd up alot of the Vietnam vets were when they came home. Some never readjusted, and this country did very little to help.
 
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