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A veteran deported to Mexico last year still has a chance to become a US citizen.
Immigration officials have granted Miguel Perez Jr. two weeks of parole to attend an immigration hearing in Chicago scheduled for Wednesday.
Perez, 41, has a green card as a permanent resident, but was deported after serving his sentence for a non-violent drug conviction in 2008. Last month, Illinois Governor, JB Pritzker, granted a pardon, which erased the conviction.
ARMY VETERAN DEPOSITED IN MEXICO RETURNS HOME TO MEET HIS FAMILY
Perez's lawyer, Chris Bergin, told reporters that he was hoping for a quick decision after the hearing so that Perez would not be forced to return to Mexico at the end of two weeks.
Miguel Perez Jr. listens to a supporter speak at a press conference in Chicago on Tuesday. (AP Photo / Teresa Crawford)
"I am speechless, I would like to be able to say more, but it's just that I'm strangled," said Perez, with tears in his eyes, in front of a church, a few hours after arriving in Chicago. "I am so happy to be here."
Perez was born in Mexico, but his family immigrated when he was young. His parents are naturalized US citizens and his two children were born in the United States. He joined the army in 2002 and served in Afghanistan where he suffered a brain injury and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
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According to Bergin, it was this disorder, which caused disabling anxiety, that led to the drug charge when he was unable to receive medical care at a Veterans Administration hospital. In 2008, he was accused of giving cocaine to an undercover police officer. He pleaded guilty and spent seven years in prison. He was later turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, who detained him for two years.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
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