Wife of US Army sergeant released from federal immigration custody

The wife of a U.S. Army sergeant has been released from federal immigration custody after spending a month in detention, according to the office of U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth.

Sgt. Jose Serrano, an active duty soldier stationed in Texas who served three tours in Afghanistan, previously told The Associated Press that immigration agents arrested his wife, Deisy Rivera Ortega, during an April 14 appointment with immigration services to advance her application for permanent residency.

Duckworth, a Democrat and combat veteran, personally called Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin on Wednesday to advocate for Rivera Ortega's release, according to her office. Rivera Ortega was released Thursday evening.

The family of Rivera Ortega and DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Serrano and Ortega have been married since 2022. According to the DHS, Rivera Ortega entered the U.S. illegally in 2016 and a judge issued a final order of removal for her in December 2019.

Rivera Ortega, who was employed by two hotels, held a military spouse ID card and a valid work permit, according to Duckworth's office. She had been applying for the parole-in-place program designed to shield the immediate relatives of military family members from immigration enforcement as they took steps to adjust their legal status.

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 administration’s new policy states that “military service alone does not exempt aliens from the consequences of violating U.S. immigration laws."

According to DHS, more than 100 immediate family members of military veterans have been placed into removal proceedings under the Trump administration's mass deportation agenda.

Following public outcry and intervention from congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle, spouses of veterans and active duty U.S. soldiers have been released from federal immigration custody in some cases.

Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.