A young Army wife has been released from immigration detention with a GPS ankle monitor after she was arrested at a military base while trying to secure housing with her husband.
Annie Ramos, a 22-year-old college student, was brought to the United States from Honduras as a toddler. She had gone to the base at Fort Polk, Louisiana, to obtain a military ID that would allow her to live with her staff sergeant husband, Matthew Blank, 23.
Instead, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained her, despite her having no criminal record and being days away from filing for legal permanent residency through marriage.
Her husband, who has previously deployed to the Middle East and Europe, is set to begin training for another deployment, perhaps related to the Trump administration’s conflict with Iran.
After several days in custody, she walked out of detention and into his arms. He placed her wedding ring back on her finger after she had been told to remove it. She must now report to ICE weekly as her case proceeds.
“I am grateful to God for being with me during this hard time, and for having my husband and family supporting me,” she said. “I feel awesome. Relieved,” her husband added. “These have been the worst days of my life.”
The Department of Homeland Security defended the arrest in stark terms. “On April 2, ICE arrested Annie Yaritza Ramos Alvarado, an illegal alien from Honduras after she attempted to enter a military base. She has no legal status to be in this country,” a spokesperson said.
“She illegally crossed the southern border and entered the U.S. in February 2005,” the statement continued, adding she “was released on order of supervision with a GPS monitor while she undergoes further removal proceedings. She will receive full due process.”
The student, who was months away from earning a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry, said, “I grew up like any American. This is all I know. My husband and family are here.”
Senator Mark Kelly, a retired U.S. Navy captain, said he spoke to the couple following her release, after lobbying for it. “I’m happy Annie is back with her husband and family where she belongs,” he wrote, adding, “They never should have gone through this painful process, but far too many families like theirs are because of this administration.”
Her application for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals had previously gone unprocessed after the program was halted for new applicants.
DHS has been contacted for comment.
