EL PASO, TX — A decorated U.S. Army soldier with nearly three decades of service is speaking out against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after his wife was detained during what they thought was a routine immigration appointment in El Paso last week.
Sgt. First Class Jose Serrano, 51, a combat veteran who served in Afghanistan, says the detention of his wife, Deisy Rivera Ortega, has left him in a state of shock and is taking a severe toll on his mental health.
Detained During a “Parole in Place” Interview
The arrest occurred on April 14 at an immigration office in El Paso. Serrano and his wife were there to discuss an application for Parole in Place, a specific program designed to protect the spouses of active-duty military members from deportation.
Instead of receiving an update on their pending case, Rivera Ortega was taken into custody.
“I don’t really understand why, because she followed the rules of immigration by the T since day one,” Serrano told CBS News, noting that his wife even held an active work permit and worked at hotels inside Fort Bliss.
The Legal Conflict: El Salvador vs. Mexico
The case is legally complex. Rivera Ortega, a native of El Salvador, was granted protection in 2019 under the Convention Against Torture, which prohibits the U.S. from sending her back to her home country due to the risk of torture.
However, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) maintains that:
- She entered the U.S. illegally in 2016.
- She was convicted of illegal entry, a federal misdemeanor.
- While she cannot be sent to El Salvador, the government intends to deport her to a third country, specifically Mexico.
For Serrano, deportation to Mexico is a “nightmare scenario.” As an active-duty soldier, military regulations strictly limit his ability to travel to Mexico, meaning he would be effectively barred from seeing his wife. “We don’t know nobody in Mexico,” he added.
Impact on Military Readiness and Mental Health
Serrano, who has previously been treated for PTSD, depression, and a traumatic brain injury (TBI), says the stress of the detention has left him sleeping only two hours a night.
Advocacy groups are now warning that these types of detentions—which have become more frequent under the current administration’s expanded ICE operations—are hurting the U.S. military.
“A force cannot be mission-ready when its families are left in limbo,” said Danitza James, president of Repatriate Our Patriots.
The Fight in Federal Court
Matthew Kozik, a combat veteran and attorney representing the couple, has filed a habeas petition in federal court, calling the detention “absurd.”
While the administration has broadened the scope of who is eligible for arrest, historically, ICE exercised discretion to avoid detaining immediate relatives of service members unless there was a national security threat. Serrano argues that his wife, a mother and military spouse with no violent criminal record, is being unfairly targeted.
“I love the Army… It’s not the Army, sir. It’s ICE,” Serrano said. “ICE is out of control right now, taking away rights, as soldiers, that we have.”
What do you think, El Paso? Should the spouses of active-duty military members be exempt from deportation, or should immigration laws be enforced regardless of military service?
Share your thoughts in the comments below and let’s discuss.
