An Illinois veteran who was deported following a non-violent drug conviction has been invited to President Donald Trump's State of the Union address by Congressman Jesus "Chuy" Garcia.
Garcia invited Miguel Perez to the president's speech on Feb. 4th. Perez spent years fighting his deportation for a non-violent drug conviction in 2010.
Perez served seven years in the Army, including two tours of duty in Afghanistan, but because he was not a U.S. citizen, Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained him, took away his green card and eventually deported him.
Politicians like U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth and Garcia helped Perez fight his case, and ultimately Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker pardoned Perez' drug conviction last August.
That pardon cleared the way for him to become a legal citizen in October of 2019.
Now he's been invited to attend President Trump's State of the Union address.
Perez will travel to Washington DC early next month as Garcia's guest.
