ICE Arrests Wife Of US Army Sergeant During Immigration Appointment – What Changed?

Deisy Rivera Ortega faces deportation — ICE arrests wife of US Army sergeant at immigration appointment Cory Booker Instagram Account Screengrab

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested the wife of a US Army sergeant during an immigration appointment in El Paso, Texas, last week, as questions mount over changes to enforcement rules for military families. Deisy Rivera Ortega was detained on 14 April while attending a meeting about her parole-in-place application, a programme designed to help spouses of service members secure legal residency.

Her husband, Sgt First Class Jose Serrano, a 27-year Army veteran with three deployments to Afghanistan, said they presented military IDs but agents still took her into custody. Serrano, 51, has spoken exclusively to CBS News about the incident, expressing confusion over why it occurred despite the couple following all legal procedures.

The Moment of Arrest

Serrano recounted how officials escorted the couple down a hallway before ICE officers arrested his wife without providing a warrant or further explanation. Ortega, who has lived in the US since around 2016 and holds a work permit after receiving Convention Against Torture protection in 2019 that blocks deportation to El Salvador, had been working at hotels on Fort Bliss.

The couple, married in 2022, believed the appointment was a standard step toward permanent residency and had never missed previous immigration meetings. In a TikTok clip shared by CBS News, Serrano stated 'ICE is out of control right now' as he described the events.

@cbsnews
"ICE is out of control right now." An active-duty U.S. Army sergeant says he still doesn’t understand why his wife was detained by ICE during a scheduled immigration appointment in Texas. Sgt. First Class Jose Serrano, who has served for 27 years with multiple deployments to Afghanistan, said his wife had been following the legal process for years and never missed an appointment before her arrest. She has lived in the U.S. for nearly a decade and was previously granted protection from deportation to El Salvador, but officials say she entered the country illegally and could now be removed to a third country. Serrano says the experience has left him searching for answers, calling the situation “a shock” and raising concerns about how his wife was treated. #ice #trump #usa #immigration #military
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An Instagram reel also circulated showing how Serrano watched the agents arrest his wife during the routine immigration appointment, even after they showed military IDs.

A post shared by instagram

What Changed in ICE Enforcement?

The case highlights a policy shift. Historically, ICE refrained from detaining immediate relatives of service members absent national security or public safety concerns. But the Department of Homeland Security scrapped a 2022 policy that considered military service a significant mitigating factor in enforcement decisions.

The new guidance states that military service alone does not exempt aliens from the consequences of violating US immigration laws. This change has coincided with the Trump administration's expanded immigration crackdown aimed at mass deportations. Ortega's detention is at least the second involving a military spouse this month.

In early April, ICE detained the newlywed wife of an Army staff sergeant at a Louisiana base; she was released after five days following media reports. BBC reported that the 22-year-old wife, Annie Ramos, had been brought to the US as a toddler and had no criminal record.

Family Impact and Legal Status

Ortega remains in custody at a detention facility in El Paso. Her attorney, Matthew James Kozik, said initial indications of release had been overturned and she now faces deportation proceedings, possibly to Mexico. 'As you can imagine the family is heartbroken,' Kozik said.

Serrano has reported sleeping only two hours a night, with symptoms of post-traumatic stress returning after years of improvement. The sergeant has indicated he may need to reconsider his career if his wife is deported, saying the family is his priority. The 'ICE arrests wife of US Army sergeant during immigration appointment' case has drawn attention to how immigration rules are being applied to families of those who serve in the US military.

As the case progresses, it underscores the tensions between stricter enforcement and longstanding practices that once offered more discretion for service members' spouses. Officials from the Department of Homeland Security have confirmed the detention, with records showing Ortega is held pending removal.