A Marine combat veteran who served in Iraq was deported to El Salvador in October. He is one of hundreds of other veterans who have suffered a similar fate. He lived in the U.S. since the age of 3. “I thought I was American from the heart and still feel that I am,” he said. Jose Segovia Benitez, 38, told NBC News he barely speaks Spanish, and feels unsafe having read front page stories of brutal murders in El Salvador. “I love America. I would fight for it again,” adding that it is turning its back on him. Benitez was ordered to be deported after serving time for drug and domestic violence-related convictions. “I feel remorse,” he said. “My heart goes out to those families.” He said the Department of Veterans Affairs had “failed him” for not giving him proper treatment and he had mental health issues. Must this human being, who served his prison time, still be made to pay, possibly with his life? Doesn’t this go against the morality of our country, especially with regard to our veterans?
