Skip to the story
All StoriesPoliticsConflict & SecurityBusiness & EconomyScience & TechHealthClimateMedia
All stories
Politics13 outlets ran this5 min read

Trump administration detained over 50 military family members since 2025

Parents and spouses of active-duty U.S. service members held under immigration enforcement, with at least six deported

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Published Updated
Army Sgt. Hedar Leonel Turcios Juarez, whose wife Cristy has been detained by immigration authorities, poses for a photo at home in El Paso, Texas, July 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Ryan Romero)

What this story says

  • More than 50 parents and spouses of active-duty U.S. service members have been detained since President Trump’s second term began, according to an Associated Press investigation.
  • At least six of those detained have been deported, and eight remain in federal immigration custody, though the actual number is likely higher as the government does not track these cases.
  • The detentions have forced military members to take leave, delay deployments, or care for children alone, with some families considering leaving the U.S. to reunite with deported relatives.
  • No right-rated outlet covered this story, according to the reports below.

Who covered it

Left 67%(8)Centre 25%(3)Right 8%(1)

Percentages are shares of the 12 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 1 of the 13 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .

Trust

96/100

Craft

95/100

Hype

15/100

13 sources · methodology

Thin on the right so far

Only 1 of the 12 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.

This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.

Since President Donald Trump began his second term in January 2025, U.S. immigration authorities have detained more than 50 parents and spouses of active-duty military service members. The figure comes from an Associated Press investigation, which also found that at least six of those detained have been deported. Eight remain in federal immigration custody.

The Department of Homeland Security does not compile data on these cases, according to its statement to the AP. The investigation relied on federal court records, media coverage, and interviews with family members and attorneys. The Pentagon declined to comment on the findings.

Parents and spouses of military personnel have historically been shielded from deportation under bipartisan policies. The AP reported that the Trump administration’s approach marks a reversal, even from his first term. A policy implemented in April 2025 states that "military service alone does not exempt aliens from the consequences of violating U.S. immigration laws."

The detentions have disrupted military families. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Wendy Gbeve said her father, Luis Alberto Ramirez Zavala, was deported to Mexico after being detained during a routine immigration interview. His wife, a legal permanent resident, is considering moving to Mexico to be with him, which would leave Gbeve without childcare if she and her husband, also in the Air Force, were deployed.

Army Staff Sgt. Alexis Jaramillo, an aviation operations specialist, is on administrative leave to care for his 5-year-old stepson after his Brazilian wife, Maisa Lopes Eliaser, was detained during an immigration appointment. Jaramillo said he has no one to help with childcare. At least one active-duty soldier delayed a deployment after her husband was detained, leaving no one to care for their 5-year-old son, according to court records.

What the coverage left out

No right-rated outlet ran this story, according to the reports printed below. None of the digests or reports mentioned whether the detentions have affected military recruitment or retention, though the AP noted that the military continues to advertise immigration benefits for enlistees’ families. The AP also reported that experts warn the policy could undermine military preparedness, but no outlet provided specific data on this claim.

Tags:#USImmigration#MilitaryFamilies#TrumpAdministration#DeportationPolicy#DepartmentOfHomelandSecurity

Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 5 times, most recently on 5 Aug 2026, 13:00, and will add the sides that appear.

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

8 rated outlets

  • The left-rated outlets reported that the Trump administration detained over 50 parents and spouses of active-duty U.S. military personnel since 2025. All eight led on the scale of the detentions, with six deportations confirmed. The Associated Press, whose investigation the others cited, established that the government does not track these cases.
  • The Associated Press report detailed the impact on service members: delayed deployments, forced leave, and children left without caregivers. It quoted affected families, including Army Sgt. Hedar Leonel Turcios Juarez and Air Force Tech. Sgt. Wendy Gbeve, describing emotional and logistical strain. The Pentagon declined to comment, while the Department of Homeland Security stated that military service does not exempt individuals from immigration law consequences.
  • The outlets highlighted a policy shift in April 2025, which removed protections for military families. The Associated Press noted that detentions under this policy mark a reversal from previous administrations, including Trump’s first term. None of the digests mentioned the criminal histories of some detainees, which the Department of Homeland Security cited in its response.

Centre

3 rated outlets

  • The two centre-rated reports, one of which was the AP’s full article and the other a digest, led on the same core facts: the number of detentions, deportations, and ongoing custody cases. Washington Top News republished the AP’s full report, which included the same details and quotes as the left-rated outlets.
  • The centre-rated digest from WRAL News summarised the AP’s findings without additional framing. It noted that the detentions have left military members without emotional support and caretakers for their children, and that some have had to take leave or delay deployments.

Right

1 rated outlet

We have not written our reading of the right coverage of this story. The right-rated outlets that ran it are listed below.

Read it at the source

13 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

8

Centre

3

Right

1

Not rated

1

How did this read?

About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

More in Politics

Trump appoints Jennifer Hegseth to chair military spouses commission3 min readTrump appoints Jennifer Hegseth to chair military spouses commissionRead storyStudents help put away supplies at the end of a reading and writing lesson at the Head Start program run by Easterseals, an organization that gets about a third of its funding from the federal government, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)3 min readTrump administration plans Head Start overhaul to remove federal standardsRead storyThis composite shows work on the White House helipad, with a granite presidential seal being installed July 30, at left, and the seal being removed Tuesday, at right.4 min readTrump orders White House helipad rebuilt after criticising its slopeRead story
AP finds 50+ military relatives detained under Trump | MediaBias News