Trump Administration Has Detained Over 50 Spouses and Parents of Active-Duty Military, According to AP
· Telemundo McAllen (KTLM)
The Donald Trump administration has detained dozens of parents and spouses of active-duty U.S. military personnel by cutting immigration protections for soldiers' families in an effort to advance its mass deportation agenda, according to an investigation by The Associated Press. AP found that more than 50 parents and spouses of active-duty military members have been detained since Trump began his second term, with at least six deported, marking the first count of such arrests that the government does not officially record. At least eight direct family members of U.S. military personnel remain in the custody of federal immigration authorities. For decades, parents and spouses of military personnel have generally been protected from deportation due to bipartisan consensus. However, AP discovered that they are now routinely detained for months while attempting to regularize their legal status through available policies for close family members of military personnel, even as the military continues to recruit by advertising immigration benefits for enlistees' families. Experts warn that this shift could undermine military readiness at a time when the U.S. is engaged in conflict in Iran. This has left service members without emotional support or caregivers for their children, delayed deployments, and forced some to take leave. 'How can I even focus on my military career if I have to worry about how my wife is doing?' questioned Army Sergeant Hedar Leonel Turcios Juárez, who was stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas, when his wife was detained in July outside a Walmart in front of their six-year-old daughter.
AI summary · Source: Telemundo McAllen (KTLM) →
