An Associated Press investigation published on Wednesday found that more than 50 parents and spouses of active-duty U.S. service members have been detained since Donald Trump returned to office, with at least six deported and eight remaining in federal immigration custody.
The detentions follow a new policy implemented in April 2025 stating that military service alone does not exempt immigrants from the consequences of violating U.S. immigration laws. From January 2025 through January 2026, immigration authorities arrested over 150 immediate family members of service members and detained 125 military veterans. Processing times for military parole-in-place applications have more than doubled to 12 months.
Cases include the wife of an Army sergeant detained outside a Walmart at Fort Bliss, Texas, and the father of an Air Force technical sergeant deported to Mexico after a USCIS interview. Florida Republican Representative Maria Elvira Salazar held a news conference in July advocating for the release of a retired staff sergeant's wife. The Marine Corps stopped advertising enlistment as a pathway to protect immigrant relatives in June 2025.