Friday, October 23, 2009

VETERANS DEPORTATION - ACTION ALERT: Seeking Personal Testimony re Military Recruiting and US Citizenship

*ACTION ALERT*

Please give this top priority and distribute ASAP to all members and any and all veterans groups and or individuals.

Fellow Vets & Supporters,

The email request below is an "URGENT REQUEST" from a Pro Bono Attorney here in San Diego that is assisting us with the Deportation of U.S. Military Veterans Issue. Specifically for a Vietnam Veteran who has been deported. Please review her short request for assistance for background information based on your personal knowledge and experience and email her directly. Please Cc me as well at jan.ruhman@vetspeak.org. Her email address is at the end of her email request below. Thank you.

Jan A. Ruhman
VVAW & VFP
San Diego
Cell # 858-361-6273

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Request for support

I am a pro bono attorney representing a Vietnam War vet who was recently deported back to Mexico. We are filing some legal paperwork to have a prior conviction vacated in county court but the judge wants additional evidence to support my client's assertion that he was promised automatic citizenship when he enlisted in the army back in 1973. Is there anyone who, either from personal experience or through others, knows whether or not this was common practice by Military Recruiters (e.g. making promises of US citizenship) to induce immigrants to enlist into the military? Or even after enlistment, did superior officers or NCO's tell immigrant soldiers that they would be given citizenship because of their military service?

I acknowledge that this was not the official policy of the United States military but even a few anecdotes to demonstrate that this did in fact happen on a few occasions would be exceedingly helpful. Please feel free to contact me via email at van.nguyen@lw.com, if you have further questions, comments, or suggestions.

Many thanks in advance.

Van T. Nguyen, Attorney at Law
LATHAM & WATKINS LLP
600 West Broadway, Suite 1800
San Diego, CA 92101-3375
Direct Dial: +1.619.238.2823
Fax: +1.619.696.7419

http://www.vetspeak.org/

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