On Veterans Day, Duckworth Honors the Life and Service of Miguel Perez, Jr.

On Veterans Day, Duckworth Honors the Life and Service of Miguel Perez, Jr.

[CHICAGO, IL] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today eulogized Miguel Perez, Jr. in a Little Village Veterans Day ceremony honoring his life and celebrating his memory. Duckworth was a strong advocate of Perez's, a U.S. Army Veteran who was deported to Mexico despite having been a green card holder since childhood. Duckworth worked to support Perez's citizenship application and return to the U.S. in 2019, and continued to work closely with Perez to support other deported Veterans. Photos from today's ceremony are available on the Senator's website.

"I was proud to work on Miguel's case for years to help ensure he was able to pursue his legal options and finally become a citizen of the country he considered home," Duckworth said. "I'll never forget when I heard the news… the moment I was finally able to call him a fellow American. It was a moment that was long overdue but full of joy and promise-a wrong that was finally righted. A hard-fought victory finally won.

"But what I'll remember most is what he chose to do next. He could've been embittered after what he was forced to endure. But that wasn't who Miguel was. No. Instead, he chose to keep fighting for this country… turning around and continuing his service by advocating for his fellow immigrant Veterans. Because Miguel knew what we all know: that we should be doing everything we can to repay the debt we owe these heroes who have answered the call to serve."

When Perez was deported in 2018 by the Trump Administration, Duckworth became a tireless advocate for him. Duckworth was active in efforts to stop the Trump Administration from deporting him in the first place, introducing a private bill in February of 2018 to help him remain in the United States. She wrote several letters of support for Perez's retroactive citizenship application, as well as a letter asking former U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kirstjen Nielson to personally review Perez's case. After Perez returned home and became a U.S. citizen, Duckworth and Perez worked together to support deported Veterans, including travelling together to Tijuana, Mexico, on Veterans Day to meet with a group of Veterans who were deported to hear about their efforts to access the VA healthcare benefits they've earned.

Perez's story continues to serve as inspiration for Duckworth's package of bills she's introduced every Congress since 2017-the Veterans Visa and Protection Act, HOPE Act and I-VETS Act-that would prohibit the deportation of immigrant Veterans who are not violent offenders, provide these Veterans with a pathway to citizenship through their military service and help ensure those who have already been deported can access the VA healthcare services they are entitled to.

Perez passed away last month in Mexico while visiting family.

Full remarks as prepared below:

Hello, everyone. I'm Senator Tammy Duckworth, and I'm grateful for the chance to be here with you all today to honor the life and legacy of Miguel Perez.

Because as I can attest, he personified the best of this nation.

Born in Mexico, Miguel legally immigrated with his family to the great State of Illinois when he was 11 years old.

He loved this country so much that he was willing to sacrifice the unimaginable for it… that he was willing to wear her flag on his shoulder and go to war for her… serving two tours of duty in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom.

And yet when it was America's turn to repay him for all he did for this nation, he was betrayed…. deported by the same country he risked his life to defend.

This never, ever should have happened to Miguel.

Like many Veterans who served in OEF, Miguel suffered a traumatic brain injury from intense combat … yet just as the system failed to complete his citizenship upon enlisting in the U.S. Armed Forces, Miguel's government let him fall through the cracks and failed to effectively ensure his TBI was treated.

Instead, like too many post-9/11 Veterans, Miguel struggled when he returned home: with depression, anxiety and substance abuse … and he was vulnerable to being taken advantage of by the wrong crowd.

But most importantly, and most impressively, Miguel responded to extreme hardship with courage and determination.

He took responsibility for his mistakes, paid his due to society and dedicated himself to serving his fellow immigrant Veterans who have been left behind by the country they were willing to defend with their lives.

Look, if you sign up to fight for this country, you should be able to count on your country fighting for you, too.

But unfortunately, his deportation by the Trump Administration is a tragic example of what can happen when national immigration policies are rooted more in hate than in logic-and ICE doesn't feel accountable to anyone.

Let's call it what it is: unconscionable, insulting, demoralizing… and the ultimate betrayal of one of our heroes.

In the most harrowing of circumstances, however, Miguel did not stay down.

No… he did not let a five-time draft dodger like Donald Trump determine his future.

I was proud to work on Miguel's case for years to help ensure he was able to pursue his legal options and finally become a citizen of the country he considered home.

I'll never forget when I heard the news… the moment I was finally able to call him a fellow American.

It was a moment that was long overdue but full of joy and promise-a wrong that was finally righted. A hard-fought victory finally won.

But what I'll remember most is what he chose to do next.

He could've been embittered after what he was forced to endure. But that wasn't who Miguel was.

No. Instead, he chose to keep fighting for this country… turning around and continuing his service by advocating for his fellow immigrant Veterans.

Because Miguel knew what we all know: that we should be doing everything we can to repay the debt we owe these heroes who have answered the call to serve.

That's why every Congress around Veterans Day, I reintroduce a package of bills to protect and support our immigrant Veterans who have proven themselves tour after tour, time after time.

I'll keep it short, but my plan would prohibit the deportation of Veterans who are not violent offenders, providing them with a pathway to citizenship through their military service and helping ensure those who have been deported already can access the VA healthcare services they are entitled to.

This isn't "just" a matter of doing right by those who've worn the uniform.

It's a matter of national strength and national security, too, as would-be recruits are sure to think twice about volunteering to serve if they believe our government will desert them after they get home from war.

And in Miguel's name, I'll keep pushing for it until we finally provide these heroes with the support they deserve.

So thank you, Miguel.

Thank you for your service.

Thank you for your bravery and advocacy.

And thank you for never tiring of doing right for those in need.

It's tragic that Miguel lost his life so early, and that all of you have to live with the trauma of his loss… that you have to bear that heaviest weight of all: grief.

But just as he was willing to do anything to do right by others, every single one of us who knew him, or knew of him, now has a duty of our own:

To honor his memory just as he would've wanted.

By being kind to one another.

By looking out for the vulnerable.

By living a life of service, just as he did day after day, year after year.

Over the past few weeks, Miguel's memory has inspired me to work even harder and fight even tougher. And you have my word that I'll keep doing everything I can to honor his legacy in the days, weeks and months ahead.

God Bless Miguel Perez and all those who loved him. God bless every person who has served our nation as well as those still in uniform. And God bless America.

-30-