The wife of a 27‑year U.S. Army sergeant was taken into federal custody during a routine immigration appointment in El Paso last week and now faces possible deportation to a third country, family members and their attorney said Tuesday.
Deisy Fidelina Rivera Ortega was detained on April 14 after arriving at a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office for an interview under “Parole in Place,” a program designed to allow undocumented relatives of military personnel to remain in the United States legally. Rivera Ortega, who works for IHG Army Hotels at Fort Bliss and holds a work permit valid through 2030, was handcuffed and escorted from the building, her husband said. “At the end of the hallway, my wife was apprehended… they put handcuffs on and they took her away,” Sgt. 1st Class Jose Serrano told ABC News. “And nobody told me anything, even when I was asking, ‘Hey, what's going on?’”
Serrano, who is stationed at Fort Bliss and has deployed to Afghanistan three times over a 27‑year career, said the detention has been devastating for the family. Serrano — who has been treated for post‑traumatic stress disorder — said he has felt unable to sleep or concentrate since his wife was taken into custody. Rivera Ortega was previously granted withholding of removal from El Salvador by an immigration judge in 2019, court documents show, a determination her attorney says should bar immediate removal to another country.
The Department of Homeland Security told ABC News Rivera Ortega “entered the country illegally and was issued a final order of removal,” and remains in ICE custody pending removal. But attorney Matthew Kozik, who is representing Rivera Ortega and Serrano, contested that characterization, saying an immigration judge’s 2019 withholding order means she is not subject to immediate deportation and that she has the right to challenge any designation sending her to a third country. Kozik said Rivera Ortega is being held at the El Paso Service Processing Center and that the family has filed in federal court to seek a halt to any removal.
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What alarms the couple is that authorities are reportedly considering sending Rivera Ortega to Mexico — a country where the family says she has no ties. Kozik noted that as an active‑duty sergeant Serrano’s ability to travel to Mexico would be severely limited under Army rules, complicating any family reunification if she is deported there. “He couldn't even just go see his wife,” Kozik said.
The case underscores tensions around Parole in Place protections and the broader federal use of third‑country removals, a policy area that has seen increased activity and scrutiny in recent months. Advocates for military families have long argued Parole in Place should provide a path to stability for undocumented spouses and children of service members; lawyers for Rivera Ortega contend her existing immigration protections should prevent summary removal while those claims are litigated.
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As of Tuesday, Rivera Ortega remains in federal custody and her legal team is pressing the courts for emergency relief to prevent deportation. DHS’s statement confirming a final order of removal did not specify an expected timeline for any removal or address the family’s request for additional review.
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