AP Report: Trump's immigration crackdown has detained more than 50 military spouses and parents

Jack Brook, Associated Press Jack Brook, Associated Press Safiyah Riddle, Associated Press Safiyah Riddle, Associated Press Aaron Kessler, Associated Press Aaron Kessler, Associated Press President Donald Trump's administration has detained dozens of parents and spouses of active-duty U.S. troops as it rolls back immigration protections for military families to pursue its mass deportation agenda, an Associated Press investigation found. More than 50 parents and spouses of active-duty service members have been detained since Trump took office for a second term, and at least six have been deported and one self-deported, the AP found in the first accounting of such detentions, which the government does not track. At least eight immediate family members of U.S. service members remain in federal immigration custody. Please check your inbox to confirm. Parents and spouses of people in the military have generally been shielded from deportation under bipartisan consensus for decades.

Missing media or need the complete publisher report? Open PBS NewsHour

Scoop News DeskU.S · Published Wednesday, August 5, 2026 at 9:55 PM UTCUpdated Wednesday, August 5, 2026 at 11:18 PM UTC

Scoop News reporting summary

The text below was supplied by the Scoop Newsroom app. Third-party reporting is attributed in the source panel.

The agency did not provide specific information about the majority of cases but noted that at least seven people had been removed from the U.S. before, at least eight had removal orders and at least two had drunken-driving or drug-related convictions. "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 on the AP's findings. That's insane," Gividen said. "The fact that they're doing it now is just outrageous." ICE previously generally canceled past removal orders and allowed parents or spouses of troops to adjust their legal status, said Margaret Stock, an immigration attorney and retired lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve.

Breaking news moves fast. Follow @Will466513 on X for breaking news alerts. Follow on X →

Story timeline