Yesterday, on the eve of Veterans Day, Senator Bob Menéndez (D-NJ) expressed a sentiment shared by the thousands of members of the country's Armed Forces who have a family member or relative who is facing deportation because of the lack of documentation.

"The immigration system can destroy a family just as quickly and unexpectedly as war," the Democratic Senator pointed out.

In recognition of the danger of deportation, which threatens many relatives of soldiers and veterans, Senator Menéndez and other legislators are trying to get the Military Families Act passed, a bill that would grant legal status to the immediate families of all active members of the Armed Forces since October 7, 2001.

Jack Barrios is one of them. Upon his return from Iraq, the soldier, who lives in Los Angeles, California, suffered symptoms of post traumatic stress syndrome and had to depend on his wife, Frances, to maintain the household and take care of their two children. Nevertheless, ever since 2008, Frances, who is of Guatemalan origin, has been facing deportation.

"We cried every night; we held hands and prayed," Barrios told us. He was participating, along with Senator Menéndez, in a teleconference organized by the National Immigration Forum.

Last week, the Department of Homeland Security ruled that Frances Barrios could remain in the country. Nonetheless, many military families remain in limbo, suffering from the same uncertainty that kept the Barrios family awake at night.

"Making certain that military families can be reunited is the least this country can do to repay the debt we owe these people," said Senator Menéndez, who also assured us that the proposed legislation would extend the same benefits to the families of those who have died in the war.

National Immigration Forum Executive Director Ali Noorani stated that there are no precise statistics, but there could be thousands of military families who have an undocumented member. It is estimated that there are more than 114,000 immigrants in the Armed Forces.

A documentary on these families, "Second Battle," found on the website www.intheirboots.com, shows the difficulties confronted by two families, including the Barrios family, who are facing deportation.

New York Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a supporter of the Menéndez bill, explained, "These men and women have sacrificed so much for our country. They deserve the right to live with their families in the United States."

Barrios thanked the legislators who are pushing for this law and asked both Republican and Democratic senators to remember the importance of soldiers' families.

"Without our families, we are nothing," he pointed out.

Immigrants in the Armed Forces

A new report by the Immigration Policy Center reveals how immigrants have been instrumental in the functioning of the Armed Forces since September 11th, 2001.

"Without the contributions of immigrants, the army would not be able to meet its recruitment goals, and would be unable to satisfy its quotas for translators, interpreters and cultural experts," says the report.

The study concluded that as of June 30, 2009, there were approximately 114,600 foreign-born persons serving in the Armed Forces, or approximately 8 percent of the 1.4 million active duty personnel. Approximately 81 percent of them are naturalized citizens, while 13 percent are not citizens.

The report – whose authors point out that "the greatest number of naturalizations takes place in times of war" – found that in 2009 some 10,500 members of the Armed Forces became naturalized U.S. citizens.

The attacks on September 11 changed the Armed Forces' policies toward immigrants who were already serving. Since that time, more than 53,000 immigrants in the Armed Forces have become United States citizens, thanks to a special provision which allows naturalizations in times of war.

Yesterday [November 10], the Immigration Service (USCIS) conducted a naturalization ceremony in the USS Intrepid Museum in which 13 members of the Armed Forces, among more than 100 immigrants, became United States citizens.