Wilmer Trujillo spent 20 years in uniform, deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan, only to find himself now fighting a different kind of battle: trying to bring his wife home from immigration detention. Arelys Barahona-Martinez, his wife of six years, has been held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement since June after agents arrested her during a routine check-in appointment in Dallas.
Trujillo, who enlisted in the Army in 1999 and went on to serve 16 years in the Texas National Guard, told Spectrum News that he loves and misses his wife, and that her absence has left his house empty and without laughter. Barahona-Martinez, a Honduran national, reportedly first entered the U.S. unlawfully more than 20 years ago and reentered in 2018, allegedly because her son needed medical attention, according to the same report. Trujillo said she has no criminal background and not even a speeding ticket, and that the couple has been working to get her a green card.
A Family Caught in a Federal Policy Reversal
The case did not emerge in isolation. In April 2025, ICE rescinded longstanding guidance that had treated military service by an immediate family member as a significant mitigating factor against deportation, replacing it with language stating that military service alone does not exempt noncitizens from civil enforcement, according to a press release from Senator Tammy Duckworth. Homeland Security officials have said they are following the rule of law, adding that U.S. military service does not automatically grant lawful immigration status or exempt anyone from the consequences of violating immigration laws, per the same account.
The shift has had a measurable impact. Between January 2025 and January 2026, ICE arrested 125 noncitizen veterans while pursuing deportation actions against 282 veterans and their family members overall, according to Legis1. An Associated Press analysis found that at least 52 parents and spouses of active-duty service members have been detained since President Trump's second term began, though the actual number may be higher, the analysis noted.
A Legal Pathway Complicated by an Old Bar
Military Parole in Place, a discretionary benefit created under Section 212(d)(5)(A) of the Immigration and Nationality Act and formalized in 2013, allows immediate relatives of active-duty troops and honorably discharged veterans to obtain temporary legal presence and work permits in one-year increments, according to the Fort Bliss Legal Assistance Office. Under Section 212(a)(9)(C) of the same act, noncitizens who accrue more than a year of unlawful presence and then re-enter without inspection face a permanent lifetime inadmissibility bar, according to the Law Offices of Karen S. Monrreal.
The case remains unresolved. Trujillo said his current fight is simply bringing his wife home, and that he believes the military has torn apart his family. He has retained a lawyer and said he is asking for compassion and an opportunity to correct his wife's immigration status.
Advocates Push for Legislative Fix
Ashley DeAzevedo, executive director of the nonprofit American Families United, said detention resources should focus on criminals and people who pose a threat, and that the country should support service members while they are deployed abroad. She and other advocates have voiced concern over family members of active-duty troops and veterans being detained and deported, arguing that Military Parole in Place motivates many people to enlist in the first place because they believe it will help their families gain legal status. DeAzevedo believes the program should be codified into law.
The American Families United Act, currently pending in Congress, would create a waiver process for mixed-status couples, according to the New Jersey Monitor. The linked report discusses a New Jersey couple's decision to self-deport and the stalled legislation, as well as other reports about immigration cases involving military families and additional coverage.
Readiness Concerns and a Toughening State Landscape
Immigration matters can distract from military duties. Trujillo's case unfolds in Texas.
For now, Trujillo says his focus remains narrow and personal: getting Arelys Barahona-Martinez, who he says works hard to support her family and care for her son, released and back home. He continues to work with his lawyer while the family's green card effort continues.
