In his essay published by the Massachusetts Review, J. Malcolm Garcia tells the story of four honorably discharged United States veterans.

Legal immigrants, they were welcomed into the U.S. military. But after their service, the vets got into trouble. A 1996 law mandates deportation for non-citizens convicted on a wide range of felonies — regardless of military service. Garcia conceded that some of the deported vets committed offenses like murder and rape. But he said many others got into trouble for DUIs or drugs.

Click the audio player above to hear New England Public Radio’s Susan Kaplan interview with J. Malcolm Garcia.