American Hero’s Story That Calls For A National Conversation On Immigration
Pasadena, TX – February 03, 2026 – New book, Seize Occupy and Defend explores the extraordinary journey of a Mexican immigrant who became a World War II Medal of Honor recipient — and a catalyst for Mexican American Civil Rights Activism.
In an era when civil rights history is often framed through the narrow lens of white people from Europe and black people from Africa, a newly released book brings forward a powerful, long-overdue story that challenges narrowly held assumptions about American Civil Rights History.
The book chronicles the life of a Mexican immigrant who was drafted into the US Army in World War II. Macario Garcia was decorated with the highest award for valor; for engaging with the enemy in Nazi Germany. His bravery on the battlefield did not merely secure his place among the valiant. It also charged an already smooth running Mexican American Civil Rights Machine to ramp up the pressure on America to live up to those self-evident truths; pronounced in the Declaration of Independence.
At a time when Mexican American Civil Rights Activism was on the upswing, his heroism disrupted entrenched stereotypes and offered an undeniable counterpoint. A public spectacle in a restaurant in Texas forced a binary-minded nation to face an inconvenient truth: There are other people in America besides blacks and whites.
The book traces how that mistreatment became a catalyst that emboldened his generation to straighten their backs, lift up their heads, and seek to occupy places that Mexican Americans had hitherto been excluded from.
By exploring the parallel and contemporary histories of Mexican American and African American Civil Rights Activism — For instance, the reason a street in Houston was named after Macario Garcia was because three police officers murdered a Mexican American Vietnam Veteran named Jose Campos Torres. The book presents a conclusion as to why no one has ever heard of the military and civil rights hero named Macario Garcia; or, Jose Campos Torres.
Hopefully, the relevance of this history will spur a national conversation that will quell the chaos and confusion that surrounds the subject of immigration; which has been a topic that has been too hot for America to handle for the last 30 years.
By reclaiming this story, a vital chapter of American History will be recovered. And a conversation on immigration can be had through the lens of service, sacrifice, and shared humanity. This book will challenge readers, policymakers, educators, and historians alike to broaden their understanding of Civil Rights and inspire them to acknowledge the diverse forces that have shaped the nation.
As debates over immigration reform intensify, this timely and deeply researched work offers historical grounding, moral clarity, and a compelling reminder: America’s story has always been written by more voices than it has been willing to acknowledge.
About the Book
This book is a historical and analytical exploration of heroism, on the military and civil rights battlefields. It is inspired by a Mexican who engaged with the enemy in Nazi Germany; and with the enemy in Jim Crow Texas.
