US Army Sergeant's Wife Deported Amid Immigration Crackdown

Cristy Maryori Villafranca-Trejo, the wife of active-duty US Army Sergeant Hedar Leonel Turcios Juarez, was deported to Honduras following her detention by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on July 11, 2023, outside a Walmart near Fort Bliss, Texas. Villafranca-Trejo is at least the seventh spouse or parent of an active-duty military member to face deportation under President Donald Trump's immigration policies.

The couple, married since 2022 and parents to a six-year-old daughter, had been working on her citizenship application when they discovered a 2017 order of removal due to a missed immigration hearing. Villafranca-Trejo, who entered the US from Honduras in 2016, has no criminal record.

Despite being listed as a dependent in the Army's personnel system, her motion to reopen her case was denied in May 2023. Turcios Juarez has had to adjust his military responsibilities to care for their daughter, expressing uncertainty about his future in the Army.