ICE Deports Mom of Navy Service Member After Arrest at Green Card Interview
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0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. ICE has deported the mother of David Garcia, a first‑year midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy, after taking her into custody during her scheduled green card interview. The removal has intensified scrutiny of the administration’s immigration tactics, particularly toward military families.
The decision leaves Garcia — who began his service commitment this summer — separated from his mother as advocates warn more families could face similar disruptions.
The strongest confirmation came from Texas Democratic Representative Joaquin Castro , who said he informed Garcia and his relatives after learning that Maria Rocha‑Martinez had been deported Wednesday night.
“She was doing everything the right way,” Castro wrote, adding that the administration’s mass‑ deportation push is “destroying families for profit.”
DHS later labeled her a “criminal illegal alien,” claiming she had previously been removed and reentered the country unlawfully — a felony under federal law.
Castro disputed the framing, arguing she had been following the legal process and should never have been detained in the first place.
Newsweek has reached out to Castro's office and ICE for comment.
Maria Rocha‑Martinez arrived at her green card interview expecting to complete a long‑awaited step toward legal residency. Instead, ICE officers detained her on the spot and transferred her to the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, a facility Castro has repeatedly described as abusive and unfit for housing families.
Related Story Full List of Celebrities Demanding Closure of ICE Detention Center “ICE took her when she showed up for her green card interview,” he said, noting she had been granted parole in place — a protection often extended to military families.
Under federal immigration law, parole in place is a discretionary protection sometimes granted to spouses, parents and children of U.S. service members, allowing them to remain in the country and adjust status despite lacking lawful admission.
The protection has limits, however, as a prior deportation can legally complicate or even bar eligibility, because unlawful reentry after removal is a felony that triggers reinstatement of the old deportation order.
In practice, that means DHS can treat the person as ineligible for parole in place even if they have been living in the U.S. for years and are attempting to regularize their status.
Rocha‑Martinez remained jailed for days as Castro attempted to visit her, but ICE denied access, citing a requirement that congressional requests be submitted 48 hours in advance.
Castro has warned for months that the administration is increasingly targeting families connected to U.S. service members. In interviews and public posts, he has cited multiple cases, such as the father of a Navy sailor detained in Florida, the deportation of an Army sergeant’s wife to Honduras, and the detention of other spouses and parents of active‑duty personnel.
“The Trump Administration is targeting military families and leaving a dark stain on our nation,” he wrote in August, calling for Rocha‑Martinez’s immediate release.
The congressman’s criticism aligns with broader concerns raised by advocates who say ICE has escalated enforcement against individuals who traditionally received humanitarian discretion.
Castro argues that these actions undermine military readiness and morale, especially for young service members like Garcia, who began his training at the Naval Academy this summer.
“She raised a bright young man with good character who is serving our nation,” he said. “Maria should be home, not torn apart from her family and life.”
Rocha‑Martinez’s detention at Dilley placed her inside a facility already under national criticism. Castro has conducted nine inspections this year, describing Dilley as a “trailer prison” where children and families are held far beyond the 20‑day limit established under the Flores settlement.
“You have kids as young as 2 months old who have been in prison there,” he said, adding that some children have been held for months at a time.
ICE has repeatedly denied Castro access to specific detainees, including Rocha‑Martinez and other families he has attempted to meet.
DHS insists the restrictions are procedural, but Castro argues they are part of a pattern of obstruction meant to shield abusive practices from oversight.
“This is an agency that has become very abusive, that has absolutely gone rogue,” he said during a recent interview.
With Rocha‑Martinez now in Mexico, Garcia faces the start of his Naval Academy career without his mother’s presence or support.
Castro says his office “worked day and night” to prevent the deportation but ultimately could not stop ICE from removing her.
The congressman has promised to continue pressing for reforms to protect military families and to shut down the Dilley facility entirely.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Jason Lemon and Gray R. Thomas
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