Who Is Arelys Barahona-Martinez? Wife of Army Veteran Detained by ICE in Texas

A retired U.S. Army veteran is publicly appealing to federal immigration authorities to release his wife after she was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during a scheduled immigration appointment in Texas, a case that has intensified scrutiny of recent enforcement actions involving military families.

Arelys Barahona-Martinez, 40, was taken into custody on June 10 during a check-in appointment at an ICE office in Dallas, according to federal officials.

Her detention has drawn national attention after her husband, retired Staff Sgt. Wilmer Trujillo, said the move threatens to separate a family that has spent years building a life in the United States.

“I just don’t understand. We have a family here, and they’re breaking us up,” Trujillo told the BBC. “She’s my backbone.”

Veteran says family is being torn apart

Trujillo, 45, served approximately four years in the U.S. Army and another 16 years in the Texas National Guard, including deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, before retiring in 2021.

Speaking to CBS News, he described the emotional impact of his wife’s detention.

“I don’t want to hate on ICE. I don’t want to hate on anybody, but yeah, it boggles me. It rips my heart apart,” Trujillo said. “I love this country, and for this country to rip apart my family and take away my wife; she’s my rock and she is my backbone to this family.”

The couple married in 2020 and lived in Princeton, Texas, with Trujillo’s daughters from a previous marriage and Barahona-Martinez’s son, a U.S. citizen who has a medical condition requiring ongoing care.

Why ICE detained her

The Department of Homeland Security said Barahona-Martinez entered the United States unlawfully and is subject to a long-standing deportation order.

In a statement to CBS News, DHS said she “received full due process” and was issued a final order of removal by an immigration judge on Nov. 2, 2005.

“The Trump administration is not going to ignore the rule of law,” the department said. “She will remain in ICE custody pending removal from the U.S.”

As of June 12, Barahona-Martinez was being held at the Diamondback Correctional Facility in Watonga, Oklahoma.

Family and attorney challenge deportation case

Barahona-Martinez’s attorney, Mark Shmueli, said she has no criminal record and is actively seeking legal relief.

He argues the 2005 deportation order was issued after she missed a hearing she allegedly did not know about.

According to her legal team, she first entered the U.S. in 2005, later returned to Honduras, and re-entered the country in 2018.

Her attorney has filed efforts to reopen her immigration case and plans to seek protections available to certain military family members.

Shmueli said Barahona-Martinez may have a pathway to legal permanent residency through her marriage to a U.S. citizen if her removal proceedings are reopened.

Part of a growing pattern involving military families

The case comes amid increasing attention on ICE detentions involving relatives of active-duty service members and veterans.

In recent months, several military spouses have been detained during immigration proceedings, though some were later released following legal challenges and public pressure.

Immigration advocates and attorneys say such cases were historically uncommon but have become more visible amid the administration’s broader deportation campaign.

For Trujillo, however, the issue remains deeply personal.

“My message to ICE is: I’m not asking for favors,” he told CBS News. “I am just asking [ICE] to let my wife go. Don’t break this family apart.”

The case remains active as Barahona-Martinez’s legal team pursues efforts to reopen her immigration proceedings and halt her removal from the United States.