American Exile

When Manuel Valenzuela went to Vietnam with the U.S. Marine Corps in 1971, he was 19 years old. He wears his uniform proudly to attend an event in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he announces his trip to Washington to deliver a letter requesting the president takes action to stop the deportation of veterans.

When Manuel Valenzuela finds out his brother also receives a letter of deportation, he is shocked and says, “Join the club, brother.” Both had minor offenses on their record, which landed them in deportation court decades later. They decide to fight together and hit the local newscast to share their story and start a movement to stop the deportation of fellow veterans.

Zahid Chaudry joined the military after coming to the U.S. from Pakistan on a tourist visa. He was trampled in bootcamp training and is now in a wheelchair. His citizenship request is denied for failing to disclose misdemeanors from his time in Australia and a documentation mishap while volunteering at his local police department. His wife Anne is crushed when his deportation order moves forward.

While Manuel Valenzuela heads east to Washington D.C., his brother Valente Valenzuela heads south to Chihuahua, Mexico to self-deport and live in exile. Valente shares the emotional turmoil he has faced since receiving his removal notice — including his suicidal thoughts. “This is not what America is supposed to be,” Valente says. He tosses his war medals into the Rio Grande in disappointment.

Ashley Sietsema was 20 years old when she was deployed to Kuwait. Her mother, Olivia Segura, recalls receiving the news her daughter died. Amid grief, her husband was caught drinking and driving and has been scheduled for deportation. Segura says she fights for the rights of fallen veterans’ families because her family's pain is a result of the sacrifice her daughter made for this country.