The House of Representatives passed a bill from a Santa Barbara congressman to allow parents of U.S. military service members who don’t have legal residency in the United States to get it.
Democratic Congressman Salud Carbajal of Santa Barbara authored the legislation. It was inspired by the story of a Goleta woman who was deported in 2019. Juana Flores had lived in the United States for 30 years, and had a son in the Air Force.
After a community uproar, the decision was reversed and she was allowed to return to the United States.
Carbajal says it’s unfair that someone could be willing to serve their country yet have their family torn apart at the same time. The bill is part of a package of veterans-related legislation which now goes to the Senate for consideration.
