 A U.S. Army veteran and green card holder with a felony drug conviction began a hunger strike Wednesday to protest his likely deportation, after a federal court denied his appeal to remain in the U.S., where he has lived since age 8. Miguel Perez Jr., 39, a Chicago resident who served two tours of duty in Afghanistan and recently finished a prison term on a drug conviction, had sought to remain in the U.S., arguing his life would be in danger if he were deported to Mexico, where drug cartels target veterans with combat experience to work on their behalf, or else. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected that argument last week. Perez, who has two children who are U.S. citizens, is one of many legal permanent residents who served in the U.S. military then confronted the possibility of deportation to their native countries after committing a crime. Now, the family and friends of Miguel Perez are trying to save him from being deported to Mexico and are asking Gov. He joined the U.S. Army and served two tours of duty in Afghanistan. (Family photo) (Family photo) 
 
 After his military service, Perez sought treatment at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Maywood, where doctors diagnosed him with post-traumatic stress disorder. He was supposed to return for more tests to determine whether he also had a traumatic brain injury. While Perez was convicted of delivering less than 100 grams of cocaine, prosecutors have said he was arrested for delivering much more and received a reduced sentence after a plea deal. Instead of heading home to Chicago from prison, Perez was placed in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and transferred to a Wisconsin detention center for immigrants awaiting deportation. The other seeks retroactive citizenship for Perez to when he joined the military in 2001. Circuit and have asked Gov. Bruce Rauner to grant a pardon to Perez for his criminal conviction, supporters said. If Rauner grants the pardon, it’s not clear how that might affect the deportation case. Perez’s advocates say the veteran is beginning a hunger strike to draw attention to his case and those of other so-called green card veterans. “I don’t think it should come to this,” Luna added. “He’s definitely not getting the care he’s earned.” 
 
 mbrachear@chicagotribune.com 
 
 Twitter @Tribseeker 
 
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– An Army vet and longtime green card holder has begun a hunger strike after failing to block his deportation to Mexico, which could be imminent because of a felony drug conviction. Fearing drug cartels will kill him after a failed attempt to recruit him for his military background, 39-year-old Miguel Perez Jr. of Chicago says an "extreme fast" is his only avenue after an appeals court denied his request to remain in the only home he's known since age 8, reports the Chicago Tribune. That decision last week stemmed from a conviction for delivering less than 100 grams of cocaine to an undercover officer in 2008, though prosecutors say a plea deal masked that the real amount was significantly more. Perez, who has two American children, argues he only got mixed up with drugs because of a PTSD diagnosis following two tours in Afghanistan. Perez was also to undergo tests for a traumatic brain injury—WGN reports he was injured in an explosion—but was arrested before that could happen, per the Tribune. After serving half of a 15-year sentence, he was summoned to immigration court, placed in the custody of customs officers, and taken to a detention center in Wisconsin, where he's been for more than a year. "The system has been killing me slowly, and now I'm facing death if I'm deported to Mexico, so I would rather die in the country I fought for than in a place that's not my home," he tells CBS Chicago of the hunger strike started Wednesday. His lawyer has filed two stays, one arguing Perez needs immediate medical attention, and another seeking retroactive citizenship dating to 2001, when Perez joined the military. His supporters are also asking Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner for a pardon.