Benito Miranda Hernandez, a US Navy veteran who completed three tours of duty during the Iraq war, is facing deportation after being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) the moment he was released from prison on June 14, where he had served a sentence for a drug conviction. Brought to the United States from Mexico as an infant, Hernandez had been told that military service would provide a pathway to citizenship — a promise that went unfulfilled after his 2006 citizenship interview was denied due to his criminal record, even though he had already received a green card for permanent residency earlier this year. His case highlights a broader pattern under the Trump administration, with advocates reporting a surge in deportation proceedings against immigrant veterans, at least 34 of whom have been placed in such proceedings in the past year alone, raising questions about a system that recruits non-citizens to serve in overseas conflicts while failing to safeguard their immigration status upon return.