Today, it is also important to remember those immigrant soldiers who have given their lives.

It is important to remember the name of Marine Lance Corporal José Gutiérrez who came to the U. S. from Guatemala as an undocumented teenager, whose parents died in the Guatemalan civil war, who lived on the streets as an orphan before coming to the U. S., who attended high school and community college, and joined the marines in hopes of obtaining funds to further his education and to help his sister in Guatemala. Jose Gutierrez was the first U.S. serviceman killed in combat in Iraq on March 21, 2003.

It is important to remember Diego Rincon who came to the U.S. from Colombia and helped his father clean carpets before he joined the Army. He was killed during a suicide bombing attack in Iraq. Right after, Jose Gutierrez, in March of 2003, received his citizenship posthumously at the age of 19.

According to the Pentagon, more than 100 immigrant soldiers have died in combat while many more continue to enlist. The most recent data shows that 69,300 foreign-born men and women are serving in the U. S. armed forces, of which 43 percent (or 29,800) are not U. S. citizens. Many of these immigrant soldiers joined the military as a result of recruiter promises that they would one day receive a good job, a quality college education, and a better life. Like in the past, those immigrants who do happen to make it alive and come home, face another war – the enforcement war being waged against our immigrant communities. .

Let us support … genuine legalization proposals that will adjust the status for all undocumented immigrants and that will treat them as full human beings with full citizenship and labor law protections. In helping to end the wars abroad, we will hopefully also help in ending the war against undocumented immigrants at home.