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He has a Purple Heart & is a convicted felon. ICE wants to deport him.

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.

Copyright 2025 NPR

Asma Khalid is a White House correspondent for NPR. She also co-hosts The NPR Politics Podcast.
Ximena Bustillo
Ximena Bustillo is a multi-platform reporter at NPR covering politics out of the White House and Congress on air and in print.
Tom Bowman is a NPR National Desk reporter covering the Pentagon.
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