DHS Deports Wife of Active-Duty Army Sergeant to Honduras

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security deported Cristy Maryori Villafranca-Trejo to Honduras on August 24, 2026. Villafranca-Trejo is the wife of Army Sgt. Hedar Leonel Turcios Juarez, an active-duty soldier stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas. She was detained in July outside a Walmart near the base and held at Camp East Montana before her removal.

DHS stated the deportation followed a 2017 removal order issued after Villafranca-Trejo missed a hearing, asserting she received due process. However, Turcios Juarez claims his wife never received notice of that hearing and was awaiting a decision on a military parole-in-place application. Turcios Juarez, a U.S. citizen who naturalized through military service, had been pursuing citizenship for his wife.

This case is part of a broader immigration crackdown under President Donald Trump. An Associated Press investigation found that over 50 immediate family members of U.S. troops have been placed in federal immigration detention, with at least seven deported. Congressional Democrats have launched an investigation into whether the Pentagon and DHS are coordinating these actions, arguing that targeting the loved ones of service members undermines military readiness.

U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar has opened a congressional inquiry into the case. Advocacy groups and lawmakers argue the administration is betraying soldiers who sacrifice for the country, while DHS maintains that military service by a relative does not grant immunity from immigration enforcement.