In El Salvador, deported U.S. Marine veteran from Long Beach faces new hurdle — jail
A U.S. Marine combat veteran and convicted felon who on Wednesday was unexpectedly deported to El Salvador got another surprise upon arrival – authorities jailed him.
Because Jose Segovia Benitez has a criminal record in the United States, he is expected to be jailed for about five days while local police investigate whether he is wanted for a crime in the Central American country, attorney Roy Petty said Thursday.
Segovia, 38, left El Salvador when he was 3 years old.
Segovia’s deportation this week from a detention center in Arizona, surprised his family in Long Beach and a national team of supporters. Segovia’s Dallas-based lawyer, Petty, says he was told by immigration officials before Segovia’s deportation that he had more time to file documents on his client’s behalf.
Prior to that, Segovia’s supporters filed a still-pending request to get a pardon from California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a process that could lead to Segovia’s return to the United States.
Supporters back Segovia because they believe his criminal record — which includes a charge of domestic violence — stems from injuries he sustained while serving as a Marine in Iraq in the early 2000s. Segovia’s deportation, supporters argue, amounts to an unfair second punishment for someone who grew up in this country and risked his life to defend it.
This new twist in Segovia’s story concerns Petty, who said he’s worried that his client might not get medication he needs. He also noted that Segovia’s case, which has garnered media attention in the U.S., has been publicized in El Salvador, something that could make him a target in that country.
“He is afraid that the scrutiny there would invite the gangs to kidnap or kill him,” Petty said in an e-mail.
Petty plans to hire a lawyer in El Salvador while continuing to work to reopen his immigration case in the U.S.
Segovia was a legal permanent resident when he joined the Marines in 1999 and served two combat tours in Iraq, where he suffered a brain injury. His family says that after his honorable discharge in 2004, Segovia suffered from post-traumatic stress and his injury was never properly treated. That led him to drugs and alcohol and get into fights that landed him in jail, later prison. He was convicted of several felonies, including domestic violence.
After spending four years in prison, he was picked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in January 2018 and taken to the ICE Processing Center in Adelanto to be held prior to deportation. Two aggravated felony convictions opened him up to losing his legal status and green card.
It’s unclear when, or if, Segovia’s pardon request will be considered by Newsom.