AP Exclusive: Trump's immigration crackdown has detained more than 50 military spouses and parents
AP has done it’s own research by checking federal court dockets and following up with families and attorneys and is reporting 52 confirmed family members of active military members have been detained, acknowledging that it’s probably many more. AP briefly discusses how this administration’s deportation quotas are creating a situation where family of military members, normally a protected group, are now being targeted.
Military members traditionally have special benefits and protections that they have been able to access, such as Military Parole in Place, to protect their family members to make sure that those in the military are not burdened by worry and having to interrupt their military careers if their spouse or a parent, usually the caregivers in their households, are detained or deported. Immigration advocates call this undermining “military preparedness” as the active duty military may have to hire help or take leave to take care of children or elderly parents and to deal with the detained/deported family member, not to mention the emotional turmoil they are going through when they are worried about the safety of their family, even before detention and deportation.
For an administration that touts the importance of the military, especially when immigration benefits for family members is used as a recruitment enticement, is hypocritical, to say the least. The emotional and tangible consequences of this policy on our future military is far more significant than the current costs on these 52 families, which is already substantial.