US Army sergeant's wife deported to Honduras amid immigration crackdown

A US Army sergeant is struggling to balance his military duties with caring for his daughter after his wife was deported to Honduras. Cristy Maryori Villafranca-Trejo was detained by immigration agents on July 11 and subsequently deported, according to her family and the Department of Homeland Security.

This case is the latest in a series of deportations of spouses or parents of active-duty US military members under President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. Sergeant Hedar Leonel Turcios Juarez told Military Times that his wife is safe but that he now faces the challenge of raising their six-year-old daughter alone.

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She is okay.

Turcios Juarez, who has been legally married to Villafranca-Trejo since 2022, expressed uncertainty about his ability to continue his Army career. He is already postponing a planned assignment and must now arrange childcare while fulfilling his military responsibilities. Their daughter was present when her mother was detained.

Villafranca-Trejo entered the U.S. from Honduras in 2016 at age 18, seeking a better life. She has no known criminal record. Her husband stated that she was listed as a dependent and was included on his orders for an upcoming move to Oklahoma. The couple began an application for her citizenship in 2024, only to discover she had a 2017 removal order stemming from a missed hearing.

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I don’t know if I will be able to continue with this. I have to make a plan to make sure I can still fulfill my military responsibilities, but also take care of my family.