Army staff sergeant's wife detained at military base while adjusting immigration status through marriage
Apr 12, 2026·Location: Louisiana
Country of origin: Honduras

Annie Yaritza Ramos Alvarado, a 22-year-old Honduran-born immigrant who arrived in the U.S. as a toddler in 2005, was detained by ICE agents on April 2, 2026, at Fort Polk military base in Louisiana while attempting to complete paperwork to move in with her spouse, U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Matthew Blank, 23, whom she had recently married. Ramos was a college student with no criminal history who had applied for DACA status in 2020, though her application was never processed. She was working with a lawyer to adjust her immigration status through marriage, a process that typically allows spouses of U.S. citizens to obtain legal permanent residency. She had been subject to an outstanding removal order issued in 2005 after her family missed an immigration court hearing when she was 22 months old. After being held for nearly a week at an ICE detention facility in Basile, Louisiana, Ramos was released on April 7 and ordered to wear a GPS monitor while removal proceedings continue.
Timeline
Sources
- New York Times
- ICE detains soldier's wife—in US since age 2—before his deployment
Newsweek·Apr 6, 2026·archived copy
- Wife of active-duty U.S. Army soldier detained by ICE in Texas at immigration appointment
- Wife of US soldier released from federal immigration detention
Associated Press·Apr 7, 2026·archived copy
KPTV·Apr 8, 2026·archived copy
WAFB·Apr 8, 2026·archived copy
gray-wwsb-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com·Apr 8, 2026·archived copy
alaskasnewssource.com·Apr 8, 2026·archived copy
- U.S. soldier
- ICE Detains Wife Of Army Staff Sergeant Days After Their Wedding: NYT
ca.news.yahoo.com·Apr 6, 2026·archived copy
- ICE releases newlywed wife of Army soldier, arrested at military base
- today.reuters.com
- eurohajjmission.org
- Wife of US soldier released from federal immigration detention - WTOP News
WTOP·Apr 8, 2026·archived copy
- news-2026.twaslnews.com
- US soldier fights deportation of wife after she was detained at military base
KMPH·Apr 7, 2026·archived copy
- Seattle Times
- U.S. soldier's wife freed from ICE detention as deportation attempt continues
spokesman.com·Apr 7, 2026·archived copy
- ICE Detains Immigrant Wife of Army Sergeant on U.S. Military Base in Louisiana, Family Speaks Out
latintimes.com·Apr 6, 2026·archived copy
- US soldier’s wife released from immigration detention on Louisiana military base
us.cnn.com·Apr 7, 2026·archived copy
- C8r460gj7eko - Latest News & Updates | BBC Mirror
- Wife of U.S. soldier removed from deportation flight, released from immigration custody
nbcboston.com·Aug 14, 2026·archived copy
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