RismadarVoice Reporters, August 24, 2026
A Navy veteran who served three tours during the Iraq War is facing possible deportation after being detained by U.S. immigration authorities.
Benito Miranda Hernandez, who came to the United States from Mexico as a child and later became a green card holder, is currently being held at the Otay Mesa Detention Centre in San Diego.
Hernandez has an extensive criminal record, including felony drug and weapons convictions and probation violations in California and Virginia. He also spent several years in prison.
His mother, Maria Miranda, and veterans’ advocates, however, say he struggled with severe trauma after returning from his military deployments.
Hernandez’s mother said she noticed a major change in her son after he returned from Iraq, while Army veteran and deportation advocate Hector Barajas said Hernandez suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Advocates argue that veterans facing mental health challenges and criminal justice issues should receive rehabilitation and support rather than deportation.
Hernandez was released from a California state prison in 2025 and entered a reentry programme in San Diego, where he worked and attended classes while preparing to complete his sentence.
Although his green card was reportedly reinstated in November, immigration agents detained him in June as he was leaving the reentry programme.
His mother said she was devastated when she arrived to pick him up and discovered that immigration officials had already taken him into custody.
According to a letter from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to members of Congress, the agency arrested 125 former service members during the first year after President Donald Trump returned to office, with about one-third having active criminal warrants.
Veterans’ advocates have criticised Hernandez’s detention, saying his case highlights concerns over how the United States treats immigrant veterans who struggle with trauma, mental health challenges and criminal convictions.
ICE has not publicly commented on Hernandez’s individual case.
