"It rips my heart apart": U.S. military veteran calls on ICE to release wife

An American national who served successful the U.S. Army and the Texas National Guard for astir 20 years is desperately urging national migration officials to merchandise his wife, who is facing deportation to her autochthonal Honduras.

Retired Staff Sgt. Wilmer Trujillo said his wife, Arelys Barahona-Martinez, 40, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement connected Wednesday during a check-in assignment astatine an bureau agency successful Dallas.

In an interrogation with CBS News Friday, Trujillo, 45, said his "heart broke" erstwhile helium was told his woman would beryllium "detained and deported."

Trujillo said helium enlisted successful the subject successful the precocious 1990s, close aft precocious school. He said helium served successful the Army for astir 4 years and the Texas National Guard for different 16 years, and helium was deployed to some Iraq and Afghanistan. He retired successful 2021.

"I don't privation to hatred connected ICE. I don't privation to hatred connected anybody, but yeah, it boggles me. It rips my bosom apart," Trujillo said. "I emotion this country, and for this state to rip isolated my household and instrumentality distant my wife; she's my stone and she is my backbone to this family."

Trujillo and Barahona-Martinez joined successful 2020, ineligible documents show. The mates lives successful Princeton, Texas, with Trujillo's daughters from a anterior matrimony and Barahona-Martinez's 20-year-old son, a U.S. national with neurofibromatosis, a aesculapian information which has led to the emergence of tumors, including successful his nose. Trujillo said they've go a tight-knit household implicit the past years.

In a connection to CBS News, the Department of Homeland Security said ICE arrested Barahona-Martinez connected June 10, noting she entered the U.S. illegally. The section cited a deportation bid from implicit 20 years ago.

"Barahona-Martinez received afloat owed process and was issued a last bid of removal from an migration justice connected November 2, 2005," DHS added. "The Trump medication is not going to disregard the regularisation of law. She volition stay successful ICE custody pending removal from the U.S."

As of Friday, Barahona-Martinez was being held by ICE astatine the Diamondback Correctional Facility successful Watonga, Oklahoma, according to the agency's online detainee tracker.

Mark Shmueli, Barahona-Martinez's migration lawyer, said his lawsuit does not person a transgression record. He said she archetypal crossed the confederate borderline illegally successful 2005 to participate the U.S., wherever she had her lad earlier going backmost to Honduras with him successful 2006.

Shmueli confirmed that Barahona-Martinez was issued a deportation bid successful 2005 but said she was ordered deported "in absentia" due to the fact that she did not be a proceeding she was not alert of.

Barahona-Martinez crossed the U.S.-Mexico borderline illegally a 2nd clip successful 2018, authorities documents show. Trujillo and Shmueli said she returned to the U.S. retired of desperation, saying her U.S.-born lad required important aesculapian attention. Trujillo said pack members successful Honduras were besides trying to enlistee his wife's son.

"This is the full crushed she's here. To prevention her son," Trujillo said.

Barahona-Martinez's apprehension is the latest detention of a spouse of a U.S. work subordinate oregon seasoned by ICE. Historically rare, specified arrests person go much communal nether the 2nd Trump administration, which has revoked anterior limits connected ICE arrests arsenic portion of its wide deportation campaign.

Some subject spouses person been released from ICE custody aft their cases garnered media attraction and involution from members of Congress, similar the lawsuit of Deisy Rivera-Ortega, the woman of an active-duty Army soldier. She was detained by ICE successful April and released past month, though her deportation lawsuit is inactive active.

Shmueli said the aforesaid result should hap successful this case, fixed Barahona-Martinez's deficiency of a transgression record, her matrimony to a retired unit sergeant and her American son's aesculapian condition. He noted Barahona-Martinez has a way to becoming a greenish paper holder, based connected her matrimony to a U.S. citizen. 

But, to beryllium eligible for a greenish card, her deportation lawsuit would person to beryllium reopened successful migration tribunal truthful her removal bid is nullified. Shmueli said she has a pending petition to reopen her migration tribunal case, and that helium besides plans to record an exertion for Parole-in-Place, a specialized programme which protects definite subject spouses oregon parents from deportation.

Trujillo said ICE is treating his woman arsenic a hardened criminal, urging the bureau to let her to proceed her migration lawsuit extracurricular of detention.

"My connection to ICE is: I'm not asking for favors. I cognize a batch of subject members are going done this. I americium conscionable asking [ICE] to fto my woman go," helium said. "Don't interruption this household apart."