This Memorial Day, like every year, Americans will post flag emojis, share photos of soldiers in uniform, and declare that “freedom isn’t free.” But if we really want to honor those who served, we need to take a hard look at what this country is doing to veterans, not just in memory, but in real time.
Because while we drape ourselves in patriotic language, the United States is quietly deporting the very people who put on the uniform and risked their lives for this country. Thousands of military veterans, many of whom were legal permanent residents promised a pathway to citizenship through their service, have been banished from the nation they swore to protect.
That’s not just a betrayal of individual veterans. It’s a betrayal of the values we claim to hold dear.
Some were deported for minor, decades-old offenses. Others never completed the naturalization process because they were deployed before it could be finalized. Still more are caught in a tangled web of bureaucratic negligence, where paperwork errors and lack of legal counsel seal their fate.
But here’s what makes this Memorial Day especially bitter: under the current administration, the deportation and detention of veterans and their families is not only continuing, it’s accelerating.
Veterans are being held in ICE detention centers. Their wives are being deported. Families are being ripped apart. These are not hypotheticals, these are headlines. This is happening.
And all while the man currently occupying the White House, who dodged the draft by claiming he had “bone spurs”, throws himself a military parade for his birthday, poses with veterans for photo ops, and slashes benefits for the very people he pretends to honor.
The people who actually served this country are being treated like criminals. Meanwhile, the man who evaded service and spends his time undermining democracy is praised as a “true patriot” by his base.
If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention.
Memorial Day should be sacred. Not just in words, but in practice. That means honoring all who served, not just those born here, not just those who look or sound a certain way, but all veterans. That means standing up for those still alive, those still fighting battles at home, those being cast aside.
If you want to honor fallen veterans this Memorial Day, don’t just fly a flag. Don’t just post a quote. Demand that we stop deporting veterans. Demand that we give them what they were promised: safety, dignity, and a place in the country they served.
Because until we do that, our patriotic rituals ring hollow. And Memorial Day is just another lie we tell ourselves to feel better.
