The Trump administration has detained more than 50 parents and spouses of active-duty US troops as part of a broader rollback of immigration protections for military families, according to an investigation by the Associated Press published on August 5, 2026. At least six of those detained have been deported, and eight immediate family members remain in federal immigration custody.

This marks the first known accounting of such detentions, which the government does not officially track. The AP found that these family members are often detained for months while attempting to adjust their legal status through policies designed for close relatives of service members. This occurs even as parts of the military continue to recruit by advertising immigration benefits for enlistees’ families.

Army Sgt Hedar Leonel Turcios Juarez, stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas, said, “How can I even focus on my military career because I have to worry about how my wife is doing?” His wife was detained outside a Walmart in front of their six-year-old daughter in July.

Air Force tech Sgt Wendy Gbeve, 30, reported she had not slept well since her father, Luis Alberto Ramírez Zavala, was detained by immigration officials last month. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated that Zavala’s wife had illegally re-entered the US after being deported in 2005.

The DHS emphasized in a statement: “DHS and ICE value the contributions of all those who have served in the US military. US military service alone does not automatically grant lawful immigration status, or exempt aliens from the consequences of violating US immigration laws.” The Pentagon declined to comment on the matter.

The agency noted that among those detained, at least seven had been previously removed from the US, eight had removal orders, and two had convictions related to drunk driving or drugs.

Sources