Senate investigation revealed ICE has attempted to deport 282 veterans and their relatives; could be violating law that prevents the use of military against civilians
Washington, D.C. — Congresswomen Maggie Goodlander (D-N.H.), Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.), Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.), and Lizzie Fletcher (D-Texas), along with U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) led dozens of their colleagues in a bicameral letter pressing the Trump administration on its efforts to coordinate the arrest, detention and deportation of hundreds of veterans and military families.
The letter follows an April 2025 move from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to rescind its long-standing policy that treated military service a “significant mitigating factor” when deciding whether to pursue immigration enforcement, replacing it with a new policy stating that military service alone “does not automatically exempt” non-citizens from enforcement actions.
You can read the full letter and list of signers here.
“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,” write the lawmakers.
Alarmingly, DoD has been reportedly targeting individuals at military installations, detaining them on military property, and turning them over to ICE — effectively converting military bases into “traps” for noncitizens. For example, a 22-year-old military wife was recently detained while attempting to obtain a military spouse I.D. Military officials allegedly called DHS and held her in a room until ICE agents arrived to take her to a detention center.
The lawmakers continue, “DoD’s participation in civil immigration enforcement activities raises both ethical and legal concerns, including potential violations of the Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits using the armed forces of the military for civilian law enforcement.”
A 2025 investigation revealed that ICE has attempted to deport 282 veterans and their relatives. DHS refused to disclose the number of active-duty troops and their families who have been threatened by the administration’s policy. But new reports indicate that DoD and DHS appear to be coordinating to convert military bases into “traps” for individuals this administration deems deportable and has detained non-citizens during routine check-ins, visits, and drop-offs at or near military installations. At the same time, DoD has continued to recruit new service members with the promise of immigration protections.
Recent reporting by the Associated Press reveals that, since January 2025, more than 50 parents and spouses of active-duty service members have been detained, and at least six have been deported. ICE’s statistics show that the agency has arrested 16 non-citizen armed forces members since the beginning of Fiscal Year 2026. Some service members have reportedly needed to take leave or delay deployment because ICE detained their families.
The coalition warned that if service members were to be swept up in any of these enforcement actions, it could separately constitute a violation of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, which provides protections to all members of the United States military on active duty, including non-citizens, from civil actions—such as immigration proceedings—that interfere with their military duties.
“Service members must have confidence that their sacrifices will be honored, not used against them or to target their loved ones,” wrote the lawmakers. “DoD’s new anti-immigrant practices risk deterring future recruits and damaging the credibility of military recruitment efforts—which promised to care for service members even after their time in uniform.”
The lawmakers requested that the agencies explain the enhanced coordination between DoD and DHS, restore long-standing immigration protections for family members of service members, and explain what steps they are taking to protect troops, veterans, and their families from unjust immigration enforcement by August 23, 2026.
The letter was endorsed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Immigration Defenders Law Center, the Seattle Clemency Project, Common Defense, Repatriate Our Patriots, and League of United Latin American Citizens.
“It is hard to imagine a more profound betrayal than targeting service members, veterans, and military families for deportation,” said Jennie Pasquarella, interim executive director of the Seattle Clemency Project. “This administration is abandoning decades of bipartisan policies that recognized a simple truth: protecting those who serve makes our military stronger and our nation safer. Targeting the very communities that have sacrificed for this country is not just morally indefensible, it is a direct attack on military readiness, recruitment, and trust.”
“This administration has made a conscious decision to abandon its promises to military families and fail those who put their lives on the line for our nation,” said Amanda Schuft, director of legal services at Immigrant Defenders Law Center. “We have seen the devastating human cost firsthand. Our client, the father of an active-duty Army service member, was detained by ICE despite suffering from terminal renal failure, forcing his son to take leave from military service to plead for his release and provide evidence of his grave medical condition. The government ignored those pleas. After his health deteriorated in detention, our client was eventually released, only to die within weeks.”
“Family readiness directly impacts mission readiness. Behind every military spouse or parent in detention is a servicemember who could deploy at any moment. Without a strong homefront, we cannot have a ready force. Our government must honor its commitments to those who serve,” said Danitza G. James, MSW, President, Repatriate Our Patriots.
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