U.s. Army Soldier Says He Feels Betrayed After His Wife Was Detained by ICE During a Green Card Interview

Staff Sergeant Alexis Jaramillo, 43, who has served for 11 years, said his wife, Maisa Lopes Eliaser, a 32-year-old Brazilian national with no criminal record, was taken into custody on July 8 during a scheduled adjustment-of-status interview.

Jaramillo said he, his wife, their son and a translator attended the interview believing they were completing the process for her to obtain lawful permanent residency through their marriage. Instead, immigration officials separated his wife from the family and informed him she would be detained. "I feel really betrayed.

I serve this country. And I deserve some security with my family, Jaramillo told Newsweek. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said: "Having a family member in the military is not a free pass to violate our nation's laws.

Military service by an immediate relative does not automatically grant parole, lawful status, or immunity from immigration enforcement; if you are in the United States illegally, you are subject to enforcement. The agency said Lopes Eliaser legally entered the U.S. from Brazil on June 18, 2019, with authorization to remain until December 17, 2019, but overstayed her visa.

Source: Newsweek