ICE Detains Jose Serrano’s Wife in El Paso, Texas During Immigration Appointment

Federal immigration agents detained the wife of U.S. Army sergeant Jose Serrano in El Paso, Texas, during an appointment connected to immigration services on April 14, according to multiple reports.

“Wife of active US Army sergeant at risk of deportation to 3rd country The sergeant has been deployed to Afghanistan three times and served 27 years”

ABC News

The Associated Press said Serrano, an active duty soldier who served three tours in Afghanistan, described how “A person opened the door, escorted us through the hallway, and at the end of the hallway, my wife got arrested,” adding, “Arrested without any order, any warrant ... They took away my wife. They don’t tell me anything.”

ABC News

ABC News similarly reported that Serrano said that “At the end of the hallway, my wife was apprehended... they put handcuffs on and they took her away,” and that “And nobody told me anything, even when I was asking, ‘Hey, what's going on? What's going on with her?’”

The Daily Beast, in an account citing CBS News, said ICE arrested Deisy Rivera Ortega “on April 14 in El Paso, Texas,” and described Serrano as a “Sgt. First Class Jose Serrano” with “27 years” of military service including “three tours in Afghanistan.”

NewsNation reported that agents “handcuffed and took away a U.S. Army soldier’s wife in front of him during an appointment at an immigration office in El Paso,” and quoted Serrano saying, “The ICE agent that have tried her case, they told her that they’re going to deport her to Mexico.”

Multiple outlets placed Rivera Ortega in ICE custody at the El Paso Service Processing Center, with the Associated Press saying she was being held there and ABC News quoting attorney Matthew Kozik saying, “She was detained at a federal government building,” and that “They wouldn't let anybody ask any questions, and she was escorted away, and we haven't seen her since.”

The Department of Homeland Security told reporters that Deisy Rivera Ortega entered the United States illegally in 2016 and that a judge issued a final order of removal in December 2019, according to the Associated Press.

In an email statement, DHS said, “Work authorization does not confer any legal status to be in the country. Rivera-Ortega remains in ICE custody pending removal,” and the Associated Press reported that DHS did not address whether Rivera Ortega might be deported to Mexico.

Associated Press

ABC News also said DHS told the outlet that Rivera Ortega entered the country illegally and was issued a final order of removal, and quoted a DHS spokesperson saying, “Rivera Ortega remains in ICE custody pending removal.”

NewsNation likewise quoted a DHS spokesman calling Rivera Ortega a “criminal illegal alien,” and said the statement read that “She received full due process, and an immigration judge issued her a final order of removal on December 12, 2019. Work authorization does not confer any legal status to be in the country.”

The Guardian reported that DHS told CBS News that Rivera Ortega came into the U.S. illegally and that she was ordered deported on “12 December 2019,” while also saying she had received “full due process” prior to that decision.

Against that, attorney Matthew Kozik told outlets that Rivera Ortega has protections and challenged the detention in federal court, with the Associated Press saying she had “challenged her detention in U.S. District Court and requested an order to block her deportation to Mexico.”

Multiple outlets tied Rivera Ortega’s detention to a “Parole in Place” pathway for military families, while also describing a policy change that reduced leniency for immigrant relatives of service members.

The Associated Press said Rivera Ortega applied for consideration with her husband under the “parole in place” policy that “previously provided a possibly expedited pathway to permanent residency for spouses of service members,” but it reported that “last April, DHS eliminated a 2022 policy that considered military service of an immediate family member to be a ‘significant mitigating factor’ in deciding whether or not to pursue immigration enforcement.”

The Associated Press quoted the administration’s new policy stating that “military service alone does not exempt aliens from the consequences of violating U.S. immigration laws.”

ABC News said Rivera Ortega was taken into custody on April 14 while attending an interview for “Parole in Place,” describing it as “a program designed to allow undocumented family members of military personnel to remain in the U.S. legally.”

The Daily Beast, citing government documents, said Rivera Ortega was summoned to the immigration office to interview for Parole in Place, describing it as “a program meant to provide deportation protections to military spouses or parents who are in the U.S. without legal status.”

In the middle of these competing accounts, the Associated Press reported that Rivera Ortega requested an order to block deportation to Mexico, where she does not have ties and where visits by active duty U.S. troops are restricted.

Serrano described the arrest as sudden and unexplained, and he said he could only communicate with his wife through a limited visitation setup while she remained detained.

The Associated Press reported that Serrano said he was able to visit Sunday and talk to his wife through a plastic pane at the El Paso Service Processing Center.

NewsNation

NewsNation similarly described how Serrano said he could talk to his wife for a few minutes each day by paying for phone service from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement El Paso Processing Center on Montana Avenue, and it said he was able to visit her for nearly an hour.

In the Daily Beast and Guardian accounts, Serrano said he did not understand why she was arrested, telling CBS News, “I don’t really understand why, because she followed the rules of immigration by the T since day one,” and the Guardian added that he said, “ICE is out of control right now, sir, taking away rights, as soldiers, that we have.”

ABC News reported that Serrano said he and his wife have been “doing everything by the book,” and it quoted him saying, “She goes to work or to church,” and “That’s the life of my wife, Daisy.”

Multiple outlets described Serrano’s mental health worsening since the detention, with the Daily Beast quoting him saying, “Since this happened, I’m sleeping only two hours a day, two hours a night,” and ABC News saying, “I can’t sleep even with the medication, I can’t even read,” and “It's super painful and stressful to not be able to do anything.”

The immediate next steps described in the reporting center on Rivera Ortega’s detention status, her legal challenges, and the possibility of deportation to a third country.

“Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested the wife of an active-duty U”

The Daily Beast

The Associated Press said she had challenged her detention in U.S. District Court and requested an order to block her deportation to Mexico, and it reported that she was being held at the El Paso Service Processing Center.

The Daily Beast

ABC News said Kozik argued in court documents that Rivera Ortega was not issued a final order of removal and that because an immigration judge granted her withholding of removal from El Salvador in 2019, she is not subject to immediate removal, quoting Kozik saying, “We are completely in the dark, and that's why we've had to go to federal court to stop this.”

NewsNation said Kozik told the outlet that she has protections and has filed legal action to prevent her removal from El Paso and for her release, quoting him: “Think about it, she is of such a national security risk that she has a military spouse ID, works at Fort Bliss and has continued to receive work authorization,” and “So, it shows the type of lack of record in the security risk anybody thinks she was.”

Beyond Rivera Ortega’s case, The Guardian placed the detention within a broader pattern, saying it was “the latest of several instances that contradict the Trump administration’s initial claims,” and it described another case involving Annie Ramos and Matthew Blank at a Louisiana military base.

In the Rivera Ortega matter itself, the Associated Press reported that DHS said she entered the U.S. illegally in 2016 and that a judge issued a final order of removal in December 2019, while DHS’s quoted language continued to emphasize that “Work authorization does not confer any legal status to be in the country,” leaving the legal fight over removal and third-country designation as the central uncertainty.