A veteran of the United States Army and the Texas National Guard launched a public call for immigration authorities to release his wife, a Honduran immigrant detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and currently in deportation proceedings.

According to information published by CBS News, retired Major Sergeant Wilmer Trujillo, 45, said that the arrest of his wife, Arelys Barahona-Martínez, has caused a deep family and emotional crisis.

Barahona-Martínez, 40, was arrested on June 10 during an immigration control appointment at an ICE office in Dallas, Texas.

A family marked by service and uncertainty

Trujillo served nearly 20 years in the U.S. military, including deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, before retiring in 2021. Since then, he has built a family life with his wife and their children in Princeton, Texas.

In statements reported by the aforementioned media, the veteran expressed his despair at the possibility of losing his partner.

"I don't want to criticize ICE. I don't want to criticize anyone, but yes, it perplexes me. It breaks my heart," Trujillo said.

The former military man added that his wife represents a fundamental pillar for the family and asked that he be allowed to continue his immigration process in freedom.

ICE defends the detention

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported that Barahona-Martínez entered the United States illegally and that there is a final deportation order issued in 2005.

According to the agency, President Donald Trump's administration maintains a strict policy of enforcing immigration laws.

“The Trump administration is not going to ignore the rule of law,” the DHS said in a statement cited by the same media.

Currently, the woman remains held at the Diamondback Correctional Center in Oklahoma while her immigration process continues.

Legal defense seeks to reopen the case

Immigration attorney Mark Shmueli maintains that his client has no criminal record and that the deportation order was issued in absentia because he was never aware of the corresponding hearing.

The defense also argues that Barahona-Martínez returned to the United States to seek medical care for his son, a U.S. citizen, who suffers from neurofibromatosis.

Shmueli indicated that she has already submitted requests to reopen the case and seek legal alternatives that would allow the Honduran woman to apply for permanent residence because she is married to a US citizen.

The case joins other recent processes involving relatives of US military personnel and veterans, amid the tightening of immigration policies promoted by the current administration.

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