HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) Advocates in Connecticut are rallying against the planned deportation of a U.S. Army veteran who came to the United States from Peru as a teenager.

Jorge Luis Salcedo of Glastonbury was notified this week of his pending removal after completing a prison sentence. He has two convictions for driving under the influence and pleaded guilty in a 2003 case in which he spat on a police officer.

Activists gathered Thursday outside the Legislative Office Building in Hartford to protest the removal of Salcedo, whose wife and daughters are American citizens.

Supporters say Salcedo has post-traumatic stress syndrome from his service and was honorably discharged after eight years in the U.S. military.

Salcedo is in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. His lawyer plans to appeal the deportation order.