An active-duty U.S. Army soldier told Newsweek he feels “betrayed” after his wife was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during a green card interview in Alabama.

Staff Sergeant Alexis Jaramillo, 43, who has served in the Army for 11 years, said that his wife, Maisa Lopes Eliaser, a 32-year-old Brazilian national with no criminal record, was taken into custody on July 8 during a scheduled adjustment-of-status interview in Montgomery, Alabama.

Jaramillo said he, his wife, their son and a translator attended the interview believing they were completing the process for her to obtain lawful permanent residency through their marriage. Instead, he said, immigration officials separated his wife from the family and informed him she would be detained.

“I feel really betrayed. I serve this country. And I deserve some security with my family,” Jaramillo told Newsweek in a phone interview. “We were very excited because we knew we were doing the right thing and complying with the government. Then two people came and told me she was going to be detained.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told Newsweek: "Having a family member in the military is not a free pass to violate our nation’s laws. Military service by an immediate relative does not automatically grant parole, lawful status, or immunity from immigration enforcement; if you are in the United States illegally, you are subject to enforcement."

The agency said Lopes Eliaser legally entered the United States from Brazil on June 18, 2019, with authorization to remain until December 17, 2019, but overstayed her visa.

“She was issued a final order of removal by a Justice Department immigration judge on April 15, 2026. She will remain in ICE custody pending her removal," the DHS spokesperson said.

The detention is one of a growing number of cases involving military families caught up in the Trump administration's mass deportation campaign. More than 50 parents and spouses of active-duty service members have been detained since the start of Trump's second term in January 2025, according to the Associated Press, while at least six have been deported and one self-deported.

Jaramillo said he has been stationed in Germany, South Korea, Alabama and Louisiana during his military career, and he believes his family followed the legal immigration process and that his wife posed no public safety threat.

Jaramillo said his wife first applied for asylum after arriving in the United States and later sought permanent residency through marriage. He said immigration officials told the family she had missed a biometrics appointment connected to her asylum case, which resulted in a removal order.

According to Jaramillo, her petition for a green card through marriage had been approved before her detention.

Court filings reviewed by the family’s attorney resulted in a motion to reopen her case, which Jaramillo said was denied. He said the case is now before the Board of Immigration Appeals.

Lopes Eliaser is being held at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Basile, Louisiana, according to her husband. He said she was initially taken to a county jail in Alabama before being transferred to the Louisiana facility.

Jaramillo alleged that detention conditions have been difficult for his wife, whom he said has complained about disrupted sleep, limited routines and emotional strain. He also alleged that detainees are treated “like criminals.”

Jaramillo said the detention has taken a heavy emotional toll on the family, particularly on his young stepson.

Jaramillo said he has experienced panic attacks since his wife's arrest and has struggled to explain the situation to his stepson, who continues to ask when his mother will return home.

“He's always asking me when Mom is coming back,” said Jaramillo, who added that he has told the child his mother is “in a hotel” waiting for paperwork to be completed before returning.

"I feel no one cares about it. So that's why I'm doing this. Because I'm going to try all the way I can so I can release her from there.”

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Daniel Gooding and Dave Siminoff.