He Has A Purple Heart & Is A Convicted Felon. ICE Wants To Deport Him

The NPR Politics Podcast

NPR

Politics, Daily News, News

4.5 • 24.9K Ratings

🗓️ 7 April 2025

⏱️ 14 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

An NPR exclusive: Deportation proceedings are underway for Jose Barco, an Iraq War veteran who was awarded a Purple Heart. Barco came to the U.S. as a child, enlisted as a teenager, and, after his discharge, was convicted of a felony. Immediately after being paroled in January, he was remanded to ICE custody, where he has remained since.

Read more.

This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, immigration policy reporter Ximena Bustillo, and defense correspondent Tom Bowman.

The podcast is produced by Bria Suggs & Kelli Wessinger and edited by Casey Morell. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.

Listen to every episode of the NPR Politics Podcast sponsor-free, unlock access to bonus episodes with more from the NPR Politics team, and support public media when you sign up for The NPR Politics Podcast+ at plus.npr.org/politics.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	This message comes from MintMobile.
0:02.8	MintMobile took what's wrong with wireless and made it right.
0:05.8	They offer premium wireless plans for less, and all plans include high-speed data, unlimited talk and text, and nationwide coverage.
0:12.7	See for yourself at MintMobile.com slash switch.
0:16.8	Hi, this is Alvin, and I am currently at Haneda International Airport in Tokyo, Japan.
0:21.6	I've just completed a two-week tour of Japan with my son for his 10th birthday.
0:25.6	This podcast was recorded at 106 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, April 7th of 2025.
0:33.6	Things may have changed by the time you hear this, but I can assure you that this is a trip we will never forget.
0:38.4	Okay, here's the show.
0:43.4	Sounds sweet. I've never been to being outside of like a presidential little trip, which you know.
0:48.3	My wife actually taught English there after college.
0:51.0	Really? Such a treat. Well, hey there, it's the NPR politics podcast. I'm Asma Khalid.
0:55.8	I cover the White House. I'm Jimenez-Bustillo and I cover immigration policy. I'm Tom Bowman. I cover
1:00.2	the Pentagon. And today on the show, President Trump has promised to carry out the largest
1:05.7	deportation in U.S. history. We look at the complicated process of deportation through the story of one man.
1:13.3	He's an Iraq war veteran who was awarded a Purple Heart, later convicted of a crime, and now
1:19.1	facing deportation under the Trump administration. And Tom, I want to begin with you because you
1:24.9	have this exclusive reporting. Tell us more about the man at the
1:29.0	end of the story. His name is Jose Barco. How did he come to the United States in the first place?
1:34.9	Well, he came to the United States when he was four years old with his parents from Venezuela, but the parents are Cuban. The dad did some time in a Cuban prison. They fled to Venezuela and then came to the United States,
1:46.1	again, when he was just four years old. And so he grows up in the United States from the age of
1:51.9	four on. He then goes on to enlist in the U.S. Army and is deployed to Iraq. What happens to him
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from NPR, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of NPR and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.