ICE Releases Wife of US Soldier and Afghanistan Veteran from Detention

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has released Deisy Rivera Ortega, the wife of US Army Sergeant Jose Serrano, an Afghanistan veteran, from detention. Rivera Ortega, an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador, was arrested on April 14 during a scheduled immigration appointment in El Paso, Texas. The couple was applying for the parole-in-place program, which allows military spouses to remain in the US while their cases are processed. Authorities cited her 2016 illegal entry and a 2019 removal order as grounds for detention, despite a court-granted withholding of removal due to safety concerns in El Salvador. Her release followed public outcry and intervention by Senator Tammy Duckworth, who criticized the detention as a betrayal of military families. This marks the second recent case of ICE detaining the spouse of an active-duty servicemember, highlighting tensions between immigration enforcement and military family protections. Rivera Ortega’s attorney confirmed her release, and the family has returned home. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately comment on the specific circumstances of her release or the senator's involvement.