ICE detains Army sergeant's wife; family awaits answers after near-deportation

Published Aug 24, 03:40 PM UTC

On July 11, 2026, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained Cristy Maryori Villafranca Trejo, the wife of Army Sgt. Hedar Leonel Turcios Juárez, as the family drove home from Walmart near Fort Bliss, Texas. The couple's six-year-old daughter witnessed the arrest. Villafranca Trejo, a Honduran national who entered the U.S. illegally in 2016, was held at Camp East Montana, an immigration detention center on Fort Bliss grounds. A Human Rights Watch report documented abusive conditions at the facility, including excessive force and medical neglect. On August 17, authorities attempted to deport her but halted the flight after a legal impediment was identified. The family has received no updates on her case, and Turcios expressed frustration over the lack of communication from ICE. The sergeant is legally married to Villafranca Trejo, who is registered as his dependent in the Army system.