ICE deports Venezuelan-born US Army veteran who received Purple Heart to Mexico

PHOENIX, ARIZONA: A decorated US Army veteran was deported from Arizona to Mexico on Friday, November 14, without his family and legal team being notified, raising concerns about the transparency and communication in the deportation process. 

The situation has drawn attention because of the veteran’s long-standing ties in the United States and his military service. 

Family was unaware of veteran's deportation

Jose Barco, a Venezuelan-born veteran whose family fled Cuba as refugees, was deported from Arizona.

Anna Stout, a volunteer on Barco’s defense team, told Denver 7 that her team was not notified of anything about his deportation.

As of Friday evening, Barco’s family had not received any confirmation of Jose’s current location.

“We have not received word from Jose or from anyone else with firsthand knowledge that he has actually arrived in Nogales [in Mexico]. We only have the official statement from ICE to go on, but no confirmation of Jose’s current location,” his family said in a statement.

“Jose was not able to reach out to his family before any of this initiated,” Stout told the news outlet, adding that the process has been “frustrating”.

Immigration enforcement told Fox 10 that Barco was deported to Nogales in Mexico. 

The court had earlier ruled that he could be removed to Venezuela, Cuba, or Mexico, and in September, an immigration judge denied Barco’s relief appeals, which included an asylum application, and ordered the veteran’s removal from the US without specifying a date.

Jose Barco's background, service, and legal history

Jose Barco’s family fled to Venezuela because his father opposed the Communist government. They later came to the US as asylum seekers when Barco was a child and eventually became lawful permanent residents. 

Barco enlisted in the army at the age of 17 and served two tours in Iraq. He was injured during one of his deployments and received a Purple Heart for his service in combat. He was also awarded a Combat Infantry Badge.

During his service, Barco applied for citizenship, but the paperwork was never processed for some unknown reason, although his legal team says his former commander confirms helping him complete and file the application. 

Barco even served years in prison for a felony conviction of attempted murder. In October 2009, he was sentenced to 52 years after being convicted of firing a gun at a house party in Colorado Springs as one of the bullets he fired hit a 19-year-old woman. Barco was suffering from PTSD. 

Due to good behavior, he was released on parole this January after serving 15 years, after which ICE detained him and took him to a detention center in Colorado.

Family's uncertainty grows

Describing the situation of Jose Barco’s family, Anna Stout said, “The fact he is being removed from the country where he was raised and that he fought and bled for is devastating to begin with." 

"But the uncertainty of where he is, not knowing which country they would be deporting him to, and being denied access to him – including for his legal team – has made a horrific situation so much worse,” she added. 

“Most families know at a minimum where their loved ones will be deported to when they are facing a removal order, but Jose’s family has been kept in the dark about his whereabouts and his destination at every stage of this process,” Stout further said.