Veteran fights to prevent wife's deportation: "I'm begging my own country"
Summary
Retired U.S. Army and Texas National Guard staff sergeant Wilmer Trujillo is trying to stop the deportation of his wife, Arelys Barahona-Martinez, who was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Barahona-Martinez entered the U.S. illegally twice and faces deportation despite having no criminal record and possible eligibility for residency due to her marriage to a U.S. citizen.Key Facts
- Wilmer Trujillo served about 20 years in the U.S. Army and Texas National Guard with deployments overseas.
- His wife, Arelys Barahona-Martinez, was arrested by ICE during a routine check-in in Dallas on June 10.
- Barahona-Martinez entered the U.S. illegally in 2005 and again in 2018, leading to a deportation order from 2005.
- She has no criminal record and may be eligible for a green card through marriage, but must convince an immigration judge to reopen her case.
- The Trump administration has focused on deporting people with old deportation orders, even without criminal records.
- Barahona-Martinez is currently held in an ICE detention center in Alvarado, Texas.
- The couple married in 2019, and Barahona-Martinez returned to care for her son’s medical needs and protect him from gang recruitment in Honduras.
- The family is uncertain if ICE will allow her to continue her residency process while detained or if she must remain in custody.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.