An Army combat veteran who earned a Purple Heart has been deported from the United States despite pleas from his legal team and questions surrounding his mental health.
According to Denver7, Jose Barco, a Venezuelan-born Army veteran with a criminal past linked to post-traumatic stress disorder, was removed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Friday and sent to Mexico, according to his attorney.
Barco was medically discharged from the military after completing two overseas deployments, during which he suffered combat injuries potent enough to merit the Purple Heart — a distinction not handed out like candy.
Combat Hero Turned Convict Faces Final Removal
The veteran's troubles began long after service, when in 2009 he was convicted for attempted murder and felony menacing tied to a shooting incident at a Colorado Springs house party the previous year. One of the rounds struck a pregnant woman.
Barco was handed a prison sentence exceeding 50 years, but was released on parole after serving 15. ICE snatched him from the Colorado State Penitentiary in January and moved forward with his removal.
A final order of removal was issued in February, and by late September, his appeals for reprieve had been denied by the immigration court. The legal clock ran out, and the system proceeded exactly as the law requires it to.
Family And Defense Left In The Dark
Still, Barco’s removal wasn’t a routine affair. According to his legal advocates, neither family nor counsel was informed of his transfer beforehand. His attorney confirmed the deportation only after it had already occurred. Anna Stout, a political strategist on Barco's defense team and an elected city official, criticized the process, saying, “We were not provided any notification from the facility itself from DHS or ICE.”
It was another detainee's tip to Barco's family that initially revealed he had been moved out of the facility in Florence, Arizona. You would think that, as a basic courtesy—especially for a veteran—his family would hear it from officials, not through hearsay.
Veterans Day Move Draws Scrutiny
Adding irony or insult—depending on one’s view—Barco was reportedly moved on Veterans Day, the same date he was first wounded in combat during a bomb attack overseas. According to Stout, “it was ‘ironic’ that Barco was initially moved on Veterans Day.”
She also described Barco as “just a really resilient and caring person" who’s endured "more adversity than I think most of us can imagine." Perhaps a great deal of adversity was clearly on display in both war and after. The problem, of course, is less about whether Barco has seen hardship and more about whether that hardship excuses serious criminal acts. In a nation of laws, we don't get to pick and choose which crimes have loopholes based on biography.
Service Versus Accountability
The charge against him—firing shots into a home and hitting an innocent woman—overshadows what should have been a story of sacrifice and redemption. His defense insists that PTSD and brain injuries were major factors in that 2008 incident.
But as much as Americans value military service, and rightly so, the judiciary doesn’t (and shouldn’t) exempt veterans from criminal responsibility. If mitigating factors are pursued, they’re handled through appeals—not through political slogans or emotional appeals. Stout lamented the impact on Barco's family: “This has been incredibly difficult for his family.” She added it was “a frustrating process,” especially since Barco “was not able to reach out to his family before any of this initiated.”
A System Following the Law, Not Therapy
No matter how sympathetic the background, Barco's story highlights a disjointed immigration system where enforcement often drives progress while communication drags behind. Still, once he lost the final appeal, removal became a matter of policy—not vendetta.
Despite the increasing push from progressive circles to treat every removal as unjust, the facts here are cold and clear: a man who completed his debt to the justice system was still subject to immigration law, which does not exempt decorated veterans with felony records. Barco has a wife and teenage daughter who’ll now grapple with life divided between borders. It's a sad chapter—but sad doesn’t make unlawful behavior vanish from the record books, nor should it.
