Judge stops Border Patrol from putting war veterans in Texas

BAY CITY (AP) — A war veteran seeking to avoid a U.S. Border Patrol assignment in Texas because of post-traumatic stress disorder has won a key ruling from a federal judge in Michigan.

Anthony Gazvoda, 31, says the culture and environment in Laredo, Texas, reminds him of his time in Afghanistan while with the Army and triggers PTSD.

Gazvoda would like to be stationed at Sault Ste. Marie in Upper Michigan, in his native state.

Judge Thomas Ludington recently barred the government from ordering Gazvoda to Texas and marking him as AWOL if he doesn’t report. The judge gave the government a month to
determine whether any positions have been available in Sault Ste. Marie or Port Huron in the past year.