Illinois governor grants clemency to deported Army veteran

CHICAGO — A U.S. Army veteran from Chicago who was deported to Mexico was granted clemency from Governor J.B. Pritzker.

Miguel Perez served two tours of duty in Afghanistan.

He immigrated to Illinois as a child, but because of a government oversight, he was never given a path to citizenship despite his military service.

He served seven-and-a-half years behind bars for a non-violent drug offense. He was released in 2016, and deported to Mexico in 2018.

Pritzker said Perez never should have been deported in the first place, and this action could help him get back into the country.

His parents and children are U.S. citizens and still live in Illinois.

“There’s no words to express what I feel," Perez said over the phone to WGN. "I’m just excited. I’ve been crying. I’ve been laughing.”