Combat veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) is accusing the Trump administration of turning military bases into “deportation traps” for immigrant veterans and military families.
“When our military has needed more recruits, immigrants have always answered the call to serve,” Duckworth wrote on social media. “Thanking them by deporting their family members is the definition of cruel.”
When our military has needed more recruits, immigrants have always answered the call to serve.
Deporting their family members is a slap in the face to these servicemembers who are willing to defend our country in uniform. https://t.co/eaF16Yh4he
— Tammy Duckworth (@SenDuckworth) September 16, 2026
Duckworth and more than 60 other Democratic lawmakers recently demanded answers from the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs regarding federal efforts to arrest, detain and deport veterans and members of military families.
A Senate investigation found that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had attempted to deport 282 veterans and their relatives. DHS did not disclose how many active-duty service members and their families had been targeted.
[NOTE: The 282 cases include veterans and their relatives; the figure does not represent 282 active-duty military families.]
The lawmakers said reports indicate that the Defense Department and DHS have coordinated immigration enforcement involving routine check-ins, visits and drop-offs at or near military installations.
“These efforts imperil military readiness, weaken servicemembers’ morale and betray America’s promises to the people who put their lives on the line for our nation,” they wrote.
An Associated Press investigation found that immigration authorities have detained more than 50 parents and spouses of active-duty service members since President Trump returned to office. At least six were deported, one left the country voluntarily, and at least eight remained in federal custody when the report was published.
Some troops have taken leave or delayed deployments after a spouse or parent was detained, according to the AP.
[NOTE: One immigration option available to certain military relatives is “parole in place,” which can allow spouses, children and parents of service members or veterans to pursue legal status without first leaving the United States.]
In April 2025, ICE replaced a policy that treated military service as a “significant mitigating factor” when deciding whether to pursue immigration enforcement. The new policy says military service alone “does not automatically exempt” a person from enforcement.
DHS defended its position in a statement to the AP: “U.S. military service alone does not automatically grant lawful immigration status, or exempt aliens from the consequences of violating U.S. immigration laws.”
The lawmakers also raised questions about whether Pentagon participation in civilian immigration enforcement could violate the Posse Comitatus Act, which generally restricts the use of the armed forces for domestic law enforcement.
“Servicemembers must have confidence that their sacrifices will be honored, not used against them or to target their loved ones,” they wrote.
Duckworth, who lost both legs when the helicopter she was piloting was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade in Iraq, is sponsoring the PROTECT Military Families Act.
The legislation would create a mandatory pathway to parole in place for qualifying spouses, parents, children, and widows or widowers of current and former members of the Armed Forces. DHS could deny protection only after issuing a detailed written justification jointly with the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.
“There is no higher betrayal to our heroes than to have one of their family members deported by the same nation they sacrificed to defend,” Duckworth said when she introduced the bill with U.S. Representative Gil Cisneros (D-CA).
“Our servicemembers and veterans served our nation and dedicated their lives to protect American values and our freedoms—it is only fitting that we provide a pathway to protect their families,” Cisneros said.