Summary
In a harsh example of Trump’s immigration crackdown, U.S. Army veteran and Purple Heart recipient Jose Barco faces deportation to Venezuela, despite serving in Iraq and suffering severe combat injuries.
After his citizenship application vanished during service and he served prison time for a violent offense linked to untreated trauma, ICE detained him upon release.
Venezuela won’t accept him, leaving him stateless.
Barco’s case spotlights the Trump administration’s punitive policies toward veterans, erosion of due process, and broader threats to constitutional rights under his increasingly authoritarian leadership.
In France, if a member of the Foreign Legion is wounded, they are automatically granted French citizenship. This is known in France as Français par le sang verse. French by spilled blood.
Why the US doesn’t have the same makes no sense. If you were a green card holder, and you served in the US military and were wounded, citizenship should be yours for the asking at any time. No need for any lengthy legal shit.