Takeaways from AP's review of military families detained under Trump's immigration crackdown

An Associated Press investigation found that President Donald Trump's administration has detained dozens of parents and spouses of active-duty U.S. military service members as it rolls back immigration protections for their families to pursue its mass deportation agenda.

The immediate family members of U.S. troops have generally not been targets of immigration enforcement. But the AP found they're now routinely being detained for months as they try to adjust their legal status through policies available to service members' close relatives, even as the military recruits by advertising these benefits.

Experts warn that detaining troops' family members undermines military preparedness even as the U.S. is at war in Iran. Military members whose spouses and parents have been placed in detention lose emotional support networks and caretakers for their children, delaying deployments and forcing some to take leave.

Here are the main takeaways from the AP's reporting:

The AP found that at least 52 parents and spouses of active-duty service members have been detained by immigration officers since Trump took office for a second term, and at least six have been deported and one self-deported. At least eight immediate family members of U.S. service members remain in federal immigration custody.

The AP's review is the first accounting of such detentions, and it's likely an undercount. The government does not track such data.

The AP obtained information by analyzing thousands of federal court records compiled by Habeas Docket, a project run by the Immigration Justice Transparency Initiative; by reviewing existing media coverage; and by verifying information with family members and attorneys.

“DHS and ICE value the contributions of all those who have served in the U.S. military,” DHS said in a statement. “U.S. military service alone does not automatically grant lawful immigration status, or exempt aliens from the consequences of violating U.S. immigration laws.”

The Pentagon declined to comment.

Army Staff Sgt. Alexis Jaramillo had to take administrative leave from his job training soldiers at Fort Polk, Louisiana, to care for his 5-year-old stepson, Noah, after his Brazilian wife, Maisa Lopes Eliaser, was detained in early July.

“It is really overwhelming because I need to take care of my kid by myself. No one is here to help me out,” Jaramillo said.

Other military service members who spoke with the AP echoed these sentiments. At least one soldier had to delay deployment to care for her 5-year-old son after her husband was detained by ICE, court records show.

A new policy, implemented in April 2025, states that “military service alone does not exempt aliens from the consequences of violating U.S. immigration laws.”

Dan Gividen, who served as ICE’s deputy chief counsel from 2016 to 2019 under Trump, represents a soldier’s father who has been in ICE custody for more than eight months. He said that during his time as an ICE prosecutor, immigration authorities rarely detained service members’ immediate family members unless they had committed violent crimes.

“We would not place them into removal proceedings, period. That’s insane,” Gividen said. “The fact that they’re doing it now is just outrageous.”

One of the military’s most highly advertised immigration benefits is “military parole-in-place,” which allows the spouses, children and parents of active-duty service members and veterans to obtain legal immigration status from within the U.S.

The policy was implemented under Republican President George W. Bush during the U.S. war with Iraq in 2007 and codified under Democratic President Barack Obama. But DHS agencies have discretion over whether to grant it on a case-by-case basis.

The AP found that family members of troops are being held in detention despite having pending military parole-in-place applications and some were detained while appearing at appointments to adjust their legal status.

Recruiters for the Army and the National Guard still promote enlistment as a way to protect family members from immigration enforcement.

Recruiters are expected to highlight the benefits of service to attract applicants, Army spokesperson Christopher Surridge said.

The National Guard said it does not track detentions of its troops’ relatives or which recruiters advertise immigration benefits and referred additional comment to DHS.

Cpl. Jose Manuel Vilchis-Valle said recruiters used these benefits to help convince him to enlist. But his mother was detained at an appointment in August 2025 and deported to Mexico within a week even as she was trying to adjust her legal status.

“They basically told me that if you serve, and if you served honorably, you can help your parents,” said Vilchis-Valle, 23, who was honorably discharged shortly after his mother was deported. “In a perfect world, I wished, because of my service, they could have pardoned her.”

Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Army Staff Sgt. Alexis Jaramillo shows photos of his wife, Maisa Lopes Eliaser, a Brazilian national who is detained by ICE, near the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center where she is currently held, in Basile, La., Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Joseph Vidrine)

Army Staff Sgt. Alexis Jaramillo poses with a photo of his wife, Maisa Lopes Eliaser, a Brazilian national who is being detained by ICE, before visiting her at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Basile, La., Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Joseph Vidrine)

Army Sgt. Hedar Leonel Turcios Juarez, whose wife Cristy has been detained by immigration authorities, looks at family photos at home in El Paso, Texas, July 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Ryan Romero)

Army Sgt. Hedar Leonel Turcios Juarez holds a picture of himself with with his wife Cristy, who is currently on immigration detention, at home in El Paso, Texas, July 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Ryan Romero)

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — The famed bushy beard of Brent Burns was neatly groomed. His hair, too. When he smiled, front teeth gleamed in the gap where he once had none.

It's a fresh look as the 41-year-old Colorado Avalanche defenseman embarks on his 23rd NHL season. But he's still the colorful character they refer to “Burnsy,” the one who's still up for the grind as he chases his first Stanley Cup title. The one who took a young player under his wing this summer and invited him into his house.

The one who doesn't focus on the possibility of breaking the league's all-time ironman streak, which, health willing, could happen in February.

“I’m trying to figure out what stick I’m going to use tomorrow, what I’m going to eat tonight,” said Burns, who has played in 1,007 straight regular-season games and sits 57 away from tying the mark of Phil Kessel. “I don’t really think about all the other stuff.”

Retirement didn't even really cross his mind after the Avalanche were swept by Vegas in the Western Conference Final. He signed another one-year deal in late June and was right back to training.

His superpower, according to teammate Brock Nelson, is his ability to stay young at heart.

“I don't think he strikes anybody as a 41-year-old. He still seems like an 18-, 19-year-old kid,” the 34-year-old Nelson said. “Just having fun, always laughing and having a good time.”

This summer, the Burns family hosted T.J. Hughes, a 24-year-old forward out of the University of Michigan. They didn't want him living out of a suitcase at a hotel.

“He’s just such an unbelievable guy,” said Burns, whose kids frequently engaged Hughes in every high-energy activity they could. "Just a great human being off the ice. So driven, which has really helped push me.

“Watching him, what he can do, and getting to see him off the ice and meet his family, just really cheering for him to do well.”

Hughes moved out of the Burns household at the urging of Burns.

“He’s got to get some rest,” cracked Burns, who had 12 goals and 23 assists last season as he averaged nearly 19 minutes of ice time per game. “He’s playing mini-sticks all day long, and my little one’s got him on the trampoline for two hours a day. I said, 'You've got to get some sleep.'”

Kessel's consecutive games streak stands at 1,064 and took place from Nov. 3, 2009, to April 13, 2023. Should Burns remain in the lineup, he could tie the mark on Feb. 13 at Tampa Bay and break it two days later in front of the home crowd against Columbus.

“I’m not going to be the guy that breaks that streak,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “I've got way too much respect for him, for what he’s done in his career, and for what he’s doing for us on a daily basis. He’s proven to me that he deserves to be in our lineup. I’m hoping that he can stay healthy and get it. I wish him the best of luck, and I just hope his health holds up.”

Bednar added that Burns returned this season in “phenomenal condition.”

“It’s not just the beard that’s making him look younger — or lack of a beard — I think he’s in great condition.”

But there's another factor that goes into keeping the streak going: good fortune. That's why he doesn't fret about it.

“There’s just too much that can happen,” said Burns, whose streak began on Nov. 21, 2013, while with San Jose. “If you start thinking about that, (expletive) will happen. I’m not really lying, I don’t really think about it.

"Just trying to stay afloat most of the time — and figure out what’s for dinner.”

He embraces the grind of a long season, which he still relishes.

“I must,” he said, referring to his longevity.

As for his groomed beard, he said, “it's a little different, for sure.” But he found an advantage: The trim makes him more aerodynamic on the ice to keep up with the youngsters.

“You’ve got to enjoy the fun things, the (expletive) things, the mundane things," Burns said. "You’ve got to enjoy being at the rink. It’s not easy. It’s not all great. Some hard days, hard work. But I think when you’re with a group that loves to work and we just naturally have fun doing it, it definitely helps, too.

“I think that’s an important part, just to enjoy that process.”

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

FILE - Colorado Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns, right, collects the puck as San Jose Sharks defenseman Timothy Liljegren pursues in the third period of an NHL hockey game, Feb. 4, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

FILE - Colorado Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns is congratulated as he passes the team box after scoring a goal against the Montreal Canadiens in the second period of an NHL hockey game, Nov. 29, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

FILE - Colorado Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns smiles at his teammates at the end of the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Chicago Blackhawks, March 20, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley, File)