Valenzuela-Rodriguez has been summoned for jury duty at the El Paso County Courthouse in Colorado Springs.
By H. Nelson Goodson
August 19, 2013
Colorado Springs, Colorado - On Wednesday, Jesus Manuel Valenzuela-Rodriguez, 60, is expected to show up for jury duty at El Paso County Courthouse. He voted in the presidential election, but the U.S. government has labeled him a non-citizen, despite serving in the armed forces as a Marine. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) last year attempted to oust Valenzuela-Rodriguez and his brother a U.S. Army Veteran, Valente Valenzuela, 63, from the voter registration in Colorado, but the attempt failed when the State of Colorado disagreed with DHS and considered Valenzuela-Rodriguez a citizen who was allowed to cast his vote in the November presidential election. The DHS or U.S. Department of Justice never filed federal felony charges for voting in the U.S.
Both the Valenzuela brothers have been facing deportation proceedings, even when they hold a residency status and their appeal has stayed any removal proceedings from moving forward. The Valenzuelas who have become advocates for deported Veterans had faced the threat of deportation themselves for misdemeanor crimes, but were able to stay in the U.S., until their immigration case gets resolved.
The Valenzuela brothers were born in Mexico to a U.S. citizen. Their mother is originally from New Mexico and their father a Mexican national later legalized his status and then became a U.S. citizen.
Valenzuela-Rodriguez received a jury summons and even got to be juror number 4318, according to the El Paso County summons that was mailed to him.
Valenzuela-Rodriguez posted on the Brothers Valenzuela Facebook page that he will be in court on August 21.
