An Army sergeant’s wife has been freed from immigration detention after being held for approximately one month, representatives from U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth’s office announced.
Active-duty Sgt. Jose Serrano, who completed three deployments to Afghanistan and is currently based in Texas, had previously informed The Associated Press that federal immigration officials detained his spouse, Deisy Rivera Ortega, on April 14. The arrest occurred while she attended a scheduled meeting with immigration officials to process her permanent residency paperwork.
Sen. Duckworth, a Democratic lawmaker and former combat service member, directly contacted Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin on Wednesday to push for Rivera Ortega’s freedom, her office reported. Rivera Ortega was freed on Thursday night.
“Rivera-Ortega has been released from ICE custody with a GPS tracking device, mandatory home visits, and ICE office check-ins. She will receive full due process,” the DHS stated. The department has oversight of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Rivera Ortega’s family has not yet provided a statement regarding the situation.
Serrano is currently serving at the Fort Bliss area, and he and Rivera Ortega became husband and wife in 2022. DHS records show Rivera Ortega crossed into the U.S. without authorization in 2016, and an immigration judge ordered her removal in December 2019.
Rivera Ortega worked at two hotel establishments and possessed both a military spouse identification card and authorized employment documentation, Duckworth’s office noted. She was seeking approval through the parole-in-place program, which protects military family members’ relatives from immigration actions while they pursue legal status adjustments.
In April of last year, DHS discontinued a 2022 directive that treated military service by immediate family as a “significant mitigating factor” when determining immigration enforcement actions. The current policy declares that “military service alone does not exempt aliens from the consequences of violating U.S. immigration laws.”
DHS data indicates that over 100 immediate relatives of military veterans have entered removal proceedings as part of the Trump administration’s comprehensive deportation efforts.
After public criticism and involvement from lawmakers from both political parties, some spouses of veterans and current military personnel have been freed from federal immigration detention facilities.
