MIAMI (AP) — Immigration authorities said Thursday that
they are reviewing the case of a U.S. Army veteran and Cuban native who
recently discovered he is not an American citizen.
Mario Hernandez
served in Vietnam and worked for the Department of Justice’s Bureau of
Prisons using a Social Security number he received when he arrived in
the country as a child. The 58-year-old Tallahassee man always thought
he was a U.S. citizen and repeatedly voted. It was only last fall when
he sought a passport to take a cruise with his wife that he discovered
the authorities did not list him as a citizen or a permanent resident.
Suddenly, he was in limbo and under investigation by the U.S.
government.
"I served this country," Hernandez said. "I’ve always
tried to prove I’m a good American citizen. I have always taught my
children and grandchildren we need to be good stewards of this country.
My parents came for freedom. We owe a lot to this country."
Since
the Cuban revolution, those who leave the communist-run island generally
get fast-tracked to U.S. residency and citizenship. Hernandez arrived
in 1965 with his mother and always assumed she had filed immigration
papers.
U.S. Citizens and Immigration Services Spokesman
Christopher Bentley said Thursday his agency is reviewing the case and
will meet with Hernandez and his attorney, Elizabeth Ricci. Ricci said a
meeting was scheduled for next week.
"When an error is
discovered, either through the appeals process or by other means, we
work diligently to review the case and take steps to correct the error
and prevent similar issues from occurring in the future," he said in a
statement.
Ricci said Hernandez’s years of service in the military
and his work guarding criminals, including Oklahoma City bomber Timothy
McVeigh, should be rewarded not punished. In recent months, however,
she said officials have been asking detailed questions about why
Hernandez voted, suggesting they might be interested in filing charges
related to voter fraud.
"I’m hopeful and optimistic, but it’s cautious optimism," she said.
