Don't Use Our Immigrant Military Kids To Enforce Deportation

Politicians using the military for immigration enforcement, fear-mongering, or photo ops betrays every service family. Marines like my son serve the Office of the President—not an egomaniac.

Hi, fellow people,

This arrived in my inbox (jane@anotherjaneprattthing.com – use it yourself as often as you like!) this morning with the subject line: Submission, Marine Mom 4 a.m. rage.

I love Karim for writing it and I love you for reading it,

Jane

My son Ricardo, with his wife Dorita, who has been a steadfast partner through his service. She deserves so much recognition for her sacrifice as a Marine wife.

By Karim Trueblood

The thing nobody tells you when your kid becomes a Marine is that you enlist too. You give your most treasured possession—your child—to the country because you believe in it. You believe in the idea of America. You believe in service. And when the Corps breaks them down to build them back up, you get broken a little too.

It’s said that all Marines are green. The Corps makes them so green that sometimes even their mothers can’t recognize them. That’s the problem: once you’ve given your child to the Corps, every Marine looks like your child. When a Marine is hurt, it’s your child. When another family loses theirs, you grieve as if it’s your own. We don’t just raise Marines—we share them, we mourn them, we hold them all.

Which is why using them as political props is not just cheap—it’s obscene.

According to the DoD, one in four Marines is Hispanic or Latino, which means immigrant families like mine are deeply embedded in the Corps. So when this administration uses Marines for immigration enforcement or as a stage set for fearmongering, it’s not just a stunt—it’s a betrayal.