Rush Statement on Denial of Citizenship to Afghanistan War Veteran, Miguel Perez Jr.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Representative Bobby L. Rush (D-Ill.) released the following statement in response to the denial of U.S. citizenship to Afghanistan war veteran, Miguel Perez Jr.:

“This is an awfully sad day in Chicago and our Nation.  Miguel Perez Jr. bravely served our country in America’s longest war and today he was denied the privilege of citizenship after selflessly fighting for our shared American values.  This is immoral.  He has scarified so much to protect and serve and the treatment he has endured is symptomatic of this Nation’s broken promises to those of whom it has asked so much.  Simply put, this is un-American.

“Miguel loves this country immensely and his service is more than ample proof.  His wartime experience has left him battling post-traumatic stress and his inability to access the treatment he so deserved was just the beginning of the injustices he faces today.  He did everything right and I am deeply saddened and extremely disappointed with this outcome.  This decision is cruel and heartless to Miguel and extremely frustrating for those of us who have been moved by his story.

“This is yet another example of the Trump Administration’s callous disregard for the valuable contributions of our immigrants.  What message are we sending to our immigrant servicemembers today when they see how we treated Miguel?  We broke him, did not help him, and when he tried to help himself, we punished him.”

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