SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KERO) — Two United States Army veterans that were once deported are now American citizens.
Mauricio Hernandez Mata and Leonel Contreras are both from Mexico and were allowed to return to the U.S. under a Biden administration initiative.
The veterans were sworn in as citizens in San Diego on Wed, Feb 8.
Mata served from 2000 to 2006 and took part in more than 100 combat missions. Meanwhile, Contreras enlisted in the Army at the age of 17 and was honorably discharged.
Under President Biden's initiative, more than 50 deported veterans have returned home since it went into effect in 2021.
