DENVER (KDVR) — A Colorado combat veteran who earned a Purple Heart was deported from America on Friday, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson confirmed.
Jose Barco-Chirino, 39, came to the U.S. when he was four years old, later joining the military where he served two tours in Iraq and was injured in combat. He applied for citizenship while deployed in 2006. His representatives say that, unfortunately, Barco-Chirino’s paperwork was lost.
Advocate Anna Stout told NewsNation affiliate KDVR that his family had fled Cuba and gone to Venezuela after his father was exiled, then came to the U.S. as political refugees. Stout said that Barco has no ties in Venezuela or Cuba and asserted this puts him at an elevated risk if he were to be removed to either country.
On Friday, Stout said that Barco-Chirino’s family received a call from a detainee at the Aurora GEO facility, which is contracted by ICE, saying that Barco-Chirino had been removed from the detention facility. On Wednesday, Nov. 12, the family was told Barco-Chirino was at a staging area in Arizona, and on Friday, at about 8:15 a.m. ET, the family reportedly received a text saying their family member had been removed from the U.S.
ICE said that Barco-Chirino was deported to Nogales, Mexico, after receiving a final order of removal on Feb. 12, 2025.
“Jose Barco-Chirino was arrested by ERO Denver officers Jan. 21, 2025, at the Colorado State Penitentiary in Canon City, Colorado,” an ICE spokesperson told FOX31 on Friday. “Barco was released after serving time for a conviction of attempted murder, extreme indifference, and felony menacing with a real or simulated weapon. He was served with a notice to appear and will remain in ICE custody pending the resolution of his immigration proceedings.”
Stout and Barco-Chirino’s attorney told KDVR in August that Barco-Chirino served 15 years in prison for attempted murder after he left the military, where he had been stationed out of Colorado Springs. He was arrested by ICE immediately after he was paroled.
Attorneys had argued for Barco-Chirino to be sent to Mexico, over Venezuela or Cuba, where he could still receive treatment for his PTSD and past suicidal ideations. The family said they feared he would be tortured if he was sent to Venezuela or Cuba due to his military service. The ultimate goal was to have him released back into the U.S.