SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) – The wife of a U.S. Army sergeant is currently held at an immigration detention facility in El Paso, Texas, following a concerning shift in the United States immigration policies under the Trump administration that impact the families of military personnel. Jose Serrano, who has served several tours in Afghanistan, reported that his wife, Deisy Rivera Ortega, was taken into custody by immigration agents on April 14 during their appointment with immigration services regarding her permanent residency status.
We were just escorted through the hallway when all of a sudden my wife was arrested without any warning or order, said Serrano. They took her away, and I had no idea what was happening.
Rivera Ortega, originally from El Salvador, is contesting her detention in U.S. District Court, seeking to halt her deportation to Mexico—a country she has no connections with due to restrictions on visits from active U.S. military members. Attorney Matthew James Kozik clarified that she held a valid work permit and had previously been granted a withholding of removal back to El Salvador.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that Rivera Ortega entered the U.S. without proper paperwork in 2016, and a judge issued a removal order in December 2019. They stated, Work authorization does not confer any legal status to be in the country. Rivera-Ortega remains in ICE custody pending removal, but did not clarify if deportation to Mexico was pending.
She was being held at the El Paso Service Processing Center, where Serrano was able to visit and speak with her through a plastic partition. Rivera Ortega had previously applied for the parole in place policy, which allowed expedited pathways to permanent residency for military spouses.
However, the Department of Homeland Security abolished a significant 2022 policy last April that previously recognized military service as a major mitigating factor against immigration enforcement actions. The new directive firmly states that military service does not exempt noncitizens from the repercussions of violating U.S. immigration laws.
We were just escorted through the hallway when all of a sudden my wife was arrested without any warning or order, said Serrano. They took her away, and I had no idea what was happening.
Rivera Ortega, originally from El Salvador, is contesting her detention in U.S. District Court, seeking to halt her deportation to Mexico—a country she has no connections with due to restrictions on visits from active U.S. military members. Attorney Matthew James Kozik clarified that she held a valid work permit and had previously been granted a withholding of removal back to El Salvador.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that Rivera Ortega entered the U.S. without proper paperwork in 2016, and a judge issued a removal order in December 2019. They stated, Work authorization does not confer any legal status to be in the country. Rivera-Ortega remains in ICE custody pending removal, but did not clarify if deportation to Mexico was pending.
She was being held at the El Paso Service Processing Center, where Serrano was able to visit and speak with her through a plastic partition. Rivera Ortega had previously applied for the parole in place policy, which allowed expedited pathways to permanent residency for military spouses.
However, the Department of Homeland Security abolished a significant 2022 policy last April that previously recognized military service as a major mitigating factor against immigration enforcement actions. The new directive firmly states that military service does not exempt noncitizens from the repercussions of violating U.S. immigration laws.
