Congressional Democrats launch probe into efforts to deport US military members and their families

Congressional Democrats launch probe into efforts to deport US military members and their families 0 seconds of 2 minutes, 40 secondsVolume 0% Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts Keyboard ShortcutsEnabledDisabled Shortcuts Open/Close/ or ? Play/PauseSPACE Increase Volume↑ Decrease Volume↓ Seek Forward→ Seek Backward← Captions On/Offc Fullscreen/Exit Fullscreenf Mute/Unmutem Decrease Caption Size- Increase Caption Size+ or = Seek %0-9 Next Up Abdul El-Sayed highlights similarities with Haley Stevens after winning Michigan Senate primary 00:43 Subtitle Settings OffEnglish(US)_v Font Color White Font Opacity 100% Font Size 100% Font Family Arial Character Edge None Edge Color Black Background Color Black Background Opacity 50% Window Color Black Window Opacity 0% Reset WhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyan 100%75%50%25% 200%175%150%125%100%75%50% ArialCourierGeorgiaImpactLucida ConsoleTahomaTimes New RomanTrebuchet MSVerdana NoneRaisedDepressedUniformDrop Shadow WhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyan WhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyan 100%75%50%25%0% WhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyan 100%75%50%25%0% 00:00 02:40 02:40 More Videos 00:43 Abdul El-Sayed highlights similarities with Haley Stevens after winning Michigan Senate primary 01:27 Michigan's El-Sayed does not declare victory, but says he vastly overperformed expectations 00:53 Senate committee votes to hold Fauci in contempt for refusing to answer COVID questions 02:13 Conservatives and Trump admin target decades-old pillar of environmental enforcement 01:00 Trump administration moves forward with Head Start overhaul, proposing to eliminate regulations 01:42 Trump signs immigration actions on birthright citizenship, 'birth tourism' 00:37 Moscow gardeners face invasion of plant-eating Spanish slugs 00:34 Bosnia faces extreme heat and drought conditions Close 1 of 6 | The Trump administration’s expanded immigration enforcement has led to the detention of dozens of spouses and parents of active-duty U.S. service members after ending protections previously available to Military Families. 2 of 6 | 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) 3 of 6 | 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) 4 of 6 | Air Force Tech. Sgt. Wendy Gbeve, not pictured, shows pictures of her parents in her home in Marysville, Calif., on Thursday, July 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Haven Daley) 5 of 6 | Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., walks through the Capitol during votes in Washington, Thursday, July 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert) 6 of 6 | Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., walks through the Capitol during votes in Washington, Thursday, July 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert) By JACK BROOK and SAFIYAH RIDDLE Updated 6:07 AM MESZ, August 10, 2026 Leer en español Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Congressional Democrats said they are investigating the Trump administration’s efforts to deport military service members and their families after The Associated Press found more than 50 active-duty troops’ spouses and parents have been detained by immigration authorities. In a letter sent Sunday evening to the Department of Homeland Security, the Defense Department and the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Democrats said they will investigate whether the Pentagon and DHS are coordinating to deport military service members and their families. “These efforts imperil military readiness, weaken service members’ morale, and betray America’s promises to the people who put their lives on the line for our nation,” according to the letter, which was signed by more than 60 lawmakers and provided to the AP. The Pentagon declined to comment, stating it would “reply directly to the authors of the letter.” DHS told the AP that it values service members’ contributions and “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 VA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Takeaways from AP’s review of Military Families detained under Trump’s immigration crackdown 6 MIN READ AP Exclusive: Trump’s immigration crackdown has detained more than 50 military spouses and parents 1 MIN READ Lawmakers demand answers after ‘bombshell’ report about ICE officer shooting in Maine 1 MIN READ In their letter, the Democrats provided an extensive list of questions to the agencies. They said the apparent collaboration between DHS and the military to deport troops’ families “raises both ethical and legal concerns.” “Donald Trump is breaking our country’s promises to service members by tearing apart dozens of Military Families who were promised immigration protections,” Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren said. “That’s just plain cruel, and it’s hurting our military readiness and morale.” Warren’s office is leading the probe alongside Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth and several House Democrats. The AP investigation found President Donald Trump’s administration has rolled back protections for Military Families and departed from longstanding bipartisan consensus to carry out its mass Deportation agenda. Service members have been forced to take leave of their duties, including delaying deployment, to care for their children after their spouses were detained. The lawmakers pressed the administration on why military recruiters are still promoting immigration protections. Citing the AP’s reporting, the lawmakers urged the Trump administration to restore policies that had previously shielded military service members’ families from immigration enforcement while allowing them to adjust their legal status. “This report is appalling and shows the unbelievable cruelty at the center of the Trump immigration agenda,” said Blumenthal, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. “We will be demanding answers and accountability.” The Republican chairs of the armed services and veterans’ affairs committees, Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker and Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran, did not respond to requests for comment. Last week, Trump established the Military Spouse Commission, chaired by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s wife, Jennifer Rauchet, to develop policies and recommendations for improving life for troops’ spouses. “Military spouses are intrinsically linked to the good order, readiness, and retention of our military,” Trump stated in a letter published in the Federal Register on Aug. 6. “Their support and contributions to our Armed Forces are crucial to mission success.” The White House did not respond to a request for comment. The Defense Department said in a December letter to Democratic lawmakers, obtained by the AP, that it had not implemented any recent policy changes for noncitizen family members in the military and has not conducted analysis on how deportations impact troop readiness and morale. Danitza James, president of Repatriate Our Patriots, an organization providing support to Military Families and veterans facing Deportation, said troops are being betrayed. “Our military service members are the ones that sign on the dotted line to go and defend our country and maybe not come back,” James said. “They trust our government to take care of their families, and they’re not doing that.” 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. JACK BROOK Based in New Orleans, Brook covers Louisiana with a focus on state government, environmental issues and infrastructure. He is a Report for America corps member and can be reached on the secure messaging app Signal at jackbrook.88 twitter instagram mailto SAFIYAH RIDDLE Riddle is a national law enforcement reporter based in Los Angeles, California. mailto