ICE detains Army sergeant's wife as 6-year-old daughter watches mother handcuffed

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 her mother being handcuffed. 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 excessive force, medical neglect, and unsanitary conditions at the facility. On August 17, authorities attempted to deport her but returned her to detention after her husband verified her military-dependent status. The family, including her stepson and the couple's daughter, had been preparing for a military move to Oklahoma. As of publication, the family and their lawyer have received no updates on her case.