Artist raising awareness about deported veterans with mural project

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Lizbeth De La Cruz Santana is working on a mural highlighting thousands of veterans who have been deported from the United States.

"I really wanted to honor these stories, which a lot of the time people forget that we deport globally," said Lizbeth.

Friday afternoon, she gathered in Fresno with her family, veterans who returned after years of deportation, and their families.

All of them are ready to work and help make the project come to life.

"We have Hector Lopez coming from Madera, Alex and his family from Arizona, and the family members of a veteran who passed away. I think it's important to highlight these stories and know that it's everywhere," said Lizbeth.

Hector Lopez served six years in the Army in the 1990s.

" I am an American, I just happen to be born in Mexico, that is what I tell everybody," Lopez said.

Lopez says he was involved with drugs and marijuana possession and sentenced to eight years in prison.

It was after serving his sentence that he was deported to Mexico, where he has no family.

No longer welcome in America, it was hard navigating life in a country that only saw him as an American.

"I didn't think I was coming home. I knew I could come home dead, and that really hurts because dead, my country accepts me," said Lopez.

He returned to America 17 years later on a Humanitarian Visa in December of 2023.

"It was such an awesome feeling to know I was coming home," Lopez said.

Like Lopez, Alex Murillo was deported after serving in the US Navy.

Murillo also has a Humanitarian Visa and drove from Arizona to participate in the mural.

Meanwhile, some veterans never return home, like Fernando Orozco, who passed away in Mexico.

Orozco's two daughters showed up from Stockton to help with the project.

On August 16th, a painting session will be held in San Diego to finish the portraits.

Two days later, the mural will be installed at the border.

There will also be a QR code for anyone to scan and learn more about the deported veterans highlighted and the work underway for change.

To learn more about the Deported Veterans Diaspora Mural Project, click here.

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