The Brief

PHOENIX - A Purple Heart combat veteran was deported on the morning of Nov. 14 from Florence.

Jose Barco’s family and friends say they do not know where he is going or what he will do when he gets there.

The backstory:

Jose Barco is a Venezuelan national. He came here with his family as a child, enlisted in the U.S. Army at age 17, was injured in Iraq, and received a Purple Heart.

Barco, however, also suffered from PTSD, and got into some trouble back home. He spent 15 years in prison for firing a gun into a group of teenagers at a house party in Colorado Springs, Colo., and hitting a 19-year-old pregnant woman in the leg.

After fighting his deportation several times, friends, family, and activists say Barco finally gave up.

Local perspective:

A group of local activists

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