Deported Marine veteran granted U.S. citizenship

Five years after being forced to leave the United States, a man who served in the Iraq War as a U.S. Marine was granted citizenship Thursday.

Former U.S. Marine and Iraq War veteran Daniel Torres returned to the United States Wednesday afternoon - five years after he was forced to leave when it was discovered he was undocumented.

Torres' family originally came to the U.S. on a visa to visit, but once it expired his family stayed illegally. In 2007, Torres was living in Utah and used fake documents to enlist in the Marine Corps.

When Torres enlisted, he took an oath to support and uphold the constitution and defend the only country he called home.

“When I enlisted as an American citizen I knew the risks. You know it was something that could come up, it was something that could come back and hurt me. I was just hoping that I wasn’t going to pay for that mistake for the rest of my life,” said Torres.

After an honorable discharge from the Marines, Torres told KSWB he tried to get legal status, but failed and it became apparent he would have to leave the country.

Torres resided in Tijuana, Mexico where he lived and began attending law school.