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US moves to deport Trinidadian-born US Army veteran
3/9/2011
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Jamaica Observer |
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A Trinidadian-born, United States Army veteran, who was honourably discharged a decade ago is facing deportation to his native land.
Ramdeo Chankarsingh, 44, said that the US military accepted him in 1991 because he expected to get a Green Card under a special programme.
He said it didn't happen, and immigration officials have denied him citizenship.
"I'm proud to be an American soldier," said Chankarsingh, a father of two, who lives in the South Ozone Park section of Queens, New York.
"But I don't feel good about what they're doing to me and my family. I feel like they used me."
The former medic, who works as a nurse, said he will try to persuade an immigration judge this month to let him remain in the US.
Chankarsingh, who came to the US illegally as a teen and worked in Florida orange fields, said he got a temporary Green Card through an amnesty program.
He said after initial military training, he did a stint as a field medic in Kosovo's Camp Bondsteel.
When his temporary Green Card expired in 1999, Chankarsingh said he went to a military judge, who told him to file for US citizenship.
But when he was called for an interview a year later, he said officials told him because he served during peacetime he needed a valid green card.
Chankarsingh said he has been in legal limbo ever since and spent tens of thousands of dollars suing the US Citizenship and Immigration Services.
He said his latest application was passed to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which began deportation proceedings.
Edward Daniels, a veterans advocate, said Chankarsingh should get the same rights as anyone who served in war.
“He should never have been denied,” he said.
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