Shaffer
04-03-03, 04:26 PM
They were two U.S. Marines who were born in Latin America and died fighting for their adopted country.
Yesterday the U.S. government announced that they had been given U.S. citizenship posthumously.
"These are individuals who paid the ultimate price as immigrants," said Ron Rogers, spokesman for the Bureau of Citizenship in Laguna Niguel. "Their (citizenship) certificates have been printed up. They'll be given to the Marines who will present it to their families."
Lance Cpls. José Gutiérrez of Guatemala and José Garibay of Mexico were killed in the first days of the war in Iraq. Both had Southern California ties and were among the tens of thousands of noncitizen legal immigrants serving in the U.S. military.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/uniontrib/wed/news/news_1n2citizen.html
Yesterday the U.S. government announced that they had been given U.S. citizenship posthumously.
"These are individuals who paid the ultimate price as immigrants," said Ron Rogers, spokesman for the Bureau of Citizenship in Laguna Niguel. "Their (citizenship) certificates have been printed up. They'll be given to the Marines who will present it to their families."
Lance Cpls. José Gutiérrez of Guatemala and José Garibay of Mexico were killed in the first days of the war in Iraq. Both had Southern California ties and were among the tens of thousands of noncitizen legal immigrants serving in the U.S. military.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/uniontrib/wed/news/news_1n2citizen.html