In brief
Deisy Rivera Ortega was detained by immigration agents during a visit to immigration services with her husband, U.S. Army Sergeant Jose Serrano. With her challenges against deportation ongoing, the case highlights recent policy changes under the Biden administration that could complicate the immigration status of military families.
SANTA FE, N.M. — The wife of a U.S. Army sergeant is currently under detention at an immigration facility in El Paso, Texas, following a series of policy changes that tighten immigration enforcement for military families. Deisy Rivera Ortega, originally from El Salvador, was arrested while attending an appointment to process her permanent residency application alongside her husband, Sergeant Jose Serrano, who has served three tours in Afghanistan.They took away my wife without any order or warrant, Serrano recounted, emphasizing the abrupt nature of her arrest. Since her apprehension, Rivera Ortega has initiated legal efforts to challenge her detention in U.S. District Court, seeking to block her deportation to Mexico, a country where she lacks ties and which restricts visits from active-duty U.S. military personnel.Despite having a valid work permit and previously being granted a withholding of removal to El Salvador, the Department of Homeland Security indicates that Rivera Ortega entered the U.S. illegally in 2016, and a judge issued a final order for her removal in December 2019. The agency also made clear that work authorization does not grant legal status, placing Rivera Ortega at continued risk of deportation.Rivera Ortega is being held at the El Paso Service Processing Center, where her husband recently visited her, communicating through a plastic pane during their encounter.In the past, the ‘parole in place’ policy expedited pathways to permanent residency for spouses of service members. However, last April, the Department of Homeland Security rescinded a 2022 policy that treated military service as a significant factor in immigration enforcement decisions. The newly instated policy states that military service alone does not exempt individuals from the repercussions of violating immigration laws, placing military families under increased scrutiny and risk.
