Veteran Pleads Against Deportation of His Wife by ICE

In Princeton, Texas, Wilmer Trujillo, a retired U.S. Army and Texas National Guard sergeant, faces a new challenge as he seeks to stop the deportation of his wife. Trujillo served in Afghanistan, Iraq, and South Korea, dedicating his life to the country. Now, he finds himself urging the government he once served to allow his wife to stay in the U.S.

“The country I worked for is taking away my wife,” Trujillo expressed to CBS News. “I never thought I would beg my own country to let my wife stay.”

His wife, Arelys Barahona-Martinez from Honduras, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during a routine check-in in Dallas. She has no criminal record, yet ICE arrested her due to a deportation order issued in 2005 after she entered the U.S. illegally twice.

Barahona-Martinez, detained in Alvarado, Texas, described her situation as “hell” during a video call. She seeks to be with her family and complete her immigration process.

Barahona-Martinez might have a chance to obtain permanent residency, but the process involves convincing an immigration judge to reopen her deportation case. She would also need to apply for a program known as parole-in-place, which aids military families. Her ability to continue this process while free from detention is uncertain under current ICE policies.

Trujillo and Barahona-Martinez’s relationship began in 2019. She returned to the U.S. in 2018, worried for her U.S.-born son, Idben, who was facing pressure from gangs in Honduras and needed treatment for a medical condition called neurofibromatosis.

Idben, now 20 and living with Trujillo, misses his mother deeply. “She came to save my life,” he said, referencing his health issues.