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April 20, 2026

Active-duty Army sergeant's wife detained by ICE during immigration appointment

  • Deisy Rivera Ortega was detained by ICE during a parole-in-place interview in El Paso, despite having legal protections against deportation.
  • Sgt. First Class Jose Serrano, her husband, has served in the Army for nearly 28 years and is struggling with the emotional impact of her detention, which has worsened his PTSD.
  • ICE plans to deport Rivera Ortega to Mexico, despite her legal status preventing removal to her home country of El Salvador, raising serious legal questions.