Edwin Salgado, a deported veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, left, and Hector Barajas-Varela, a deported veteran of the U.S. Army, right, fold an American flag during a 4th of July celebration along the U.S.-Mexico border fence in Tijuana, Mexico, Tuesday, July 4, 2017.

Barajas-Varela and two other deported veterans were granted pardons for their crimes by California Gov. Jerry Brown this year. Although the pardons do not guarantee legal re-entry to the States, Barajas-Varela hopes it will help in his appeal to U.S. federal immigration authorities.