FLORENCE, Arizona — A Marine combat veteran who was jailed in Arizona has been deported for several criminal convictions after his fight to stay in the United States gained international attention.
Jose Segovia-Benitez was born in El Salvador but moved to the United States when he was 3. He joined the Marines and served two tours in Iraq, even receiving awards for his service.
He suffered a traumatic brain injury, along with post-traumatic stress disorder, and when he came back to the country he served, things took a dark turn.
Segovia-Benitez was self-medicating with alcohol and ran into trouble with the law as a result, his family told NBC News.
The Department of Homeland Security said Segovia-Benitez went to prison for several years for domestic violence, assault, false imprisonment and drug charges.
His mother told NBC News he never received the proper care for the PTSD that led to his troubles.
An immigration judge ordered Segovia-Benitez deported earlier this month. He appealed the decision but was denied.
The U.S. Court of Appeals also denied two stay requests filed on his behalf.
Segovia-Benitez’s family pleaded with the governor of California, where he grew up, to pardon his convictions.
But Segovia-Benitez was deported from the Arizona detention center to El Salvador on Wednesday, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
