ICE detains spouse of U.S. military veteran facing 2005 removal order

A retired U.S. Army and Texas National Guard veteran is asking immigration officials to release his wife from custody while her deportation case proceeds. Officials say the woman entered the country illegally and received a final removal order in 2005.

The veteran said his wife was detained during a scheduled check-in at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Dallas on June 10. He stated that she has no criminal record and that the couple has a pending request to reopen her immigration case.

Security officials said the woman first crossed the border illegally in 2005 and was ordered removed in absentia that November. She returned to the United States in 2018, according to government documents. The veteran said his wife returned because their U.S.-born son requires medical care for a condition that causes tumors. He added that the family lives in Princeton, Texas.

Legal options under review The woman's immigration attorney said she is eligible to apply for a green card through her marriage to a U.S. citizen, but the removal order must first be reopened. The attorney also plans to file for Parole-in-Place, a program that can protect certain military spouses from deportation.

As of June 13, the woman remained in ICE custody at a facility in Watonga, Oklahoma. Officials stated she will stay in custody pending removal.