Army Sergeant's Wife Deported to Honduras in DHS Immigration Crackdown

Authorities deported Cristy Maryori Villafranca Trejo, a 29-year-old Honduran national, on Monday as confirmed by her husband.

Federal authorities confirmed they have deported the wife of a U.S. Army sergeant headquartered at Fort Bliss.

Cristy Maryori Villafranca Trejo, a 29-year-old Honduran national with a 6-year-old daughter, was removed to Honduras on Monday. Army Sgt. Hedár Leonel Turcios Juárez confirmed the deportation to ABC News, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed it as well.

"On Aug. 24, Cristy Maryori Villafranca-Trejo, an illegal alien from Honduras, was removed from the United States in accordance with our laws," a DHS spokesperson told the network.

Military.com previously spoke with Turcios, who said his spouse's deportation flight was delayed the previous week due to what DHS described as a "legal impediment." The agency confirmed that language to Military.com after the fact.

That attempted removal occurred Aug. 18 after his wife repeatedly told officers that a challenge to her 2017 removal order remained pending.

Villafranca's Arrest

DHS removed Villafranca after authorities held her since July 11 at Camp East Montana, an immigration detention facility at Fort Bliss—the same installation where Turcios serves as an E-5.

The agency, which oversees U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, arrested her as the family returned from a Walmart in El Paso, Turcios said. Villafranca had been the primary caregiver for the family's children while he worked, trained and deployed.

DHS described the arrest as a "targeted immigration enforcement operation." The department said Villafranca entered the United States illegally in 2016 and was released into the country during former president Barack Obama's administration.

Turcios claimed his wife entered with her son in 2016, was processed by immigration authorities, and released with an ankle monitor.

DHS previously said that her claims would be considered by the Justice Department.

Trump's Immigration Crackdown

Villafrance's case comes amid President Donald Trump's broader immigration crackdown since reclaiming office in 2024—arguably his biggest political campaign promise.

An Associated Press investigation published Aug. 5 identified more than 50 parents and spouses of active-duty service members detained since Trump returned to office.

At least six had been deported, and at least eight immediate family members remained in federal custody, according to the AP. DHS told the AP that it does not track such cases.

In response to the report, 60 Democrats sent a letter in August to DHS, the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs, vowing to investigate whether the DOD and DHS were working together to deport military service members and their families.

However, Trump has also made policies to support the military community.

In August, he created the Military Spouse Commission to support the lives and experiences of spouses of those enlisted in service.

The commission, helmed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's wife, Jennifer Rauchet, will provide recommendations to address themes including housing, employment, health care and childcare.

Turcios' Military Background

Turcio, who left Honduras in 2014, has served in the Army for three years. He was deployed to the Middle East for nine months in 2023.

"I truly want to keep serving this country," Turcios told Military.com.

He also told ABC News that he had hoped his military service would expedite his wife's naturalization process in their quest to make her a U.S. citizen.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) guidance says that being the spouse, parent or child of an active-duty service member ordinarily weighs heavily in favor of parole in place when the applicant has no criminal conviction or other serious adverse factors.

"She has been my everything," Turcios said. "She was always there to support me."

"I'm not asking for special treatment," he added. "I'm not asking to be above the law. ... I'm just asking for my family to be together so I can continue with my military career."