Refuge for deported US veterans
TIJUANA, Mexico - They call it the bunker.
From the street in this working-class neighborhood, people passing by the two-story house can look through the window and glimpse a peace sign and various iterations of the Stars and Stripes.
The formal name is emblazoned in English on a banner above the entrance: "Deported Veterans Support House."
It's a meeting venue, crash pad, information hub and hangout for a distinct group: U.S. military veterans expelled from the very country they served.
Most came to the United States as children and became permanent legal residents before joining the military. But after returning to civilian life they committed crimes that led to deportation.
Advocates for immigrants say there may be thousands of deported veterans now scattered across the globe.
Hector Barajas, who founded the support house four years ago, has identified 350 deported U.S. veterans born in more than 30 countries, including India, Italy, Mexico and the nations of Central America. Scores have passed through the support house.
The veterans there speak English
