Last Friday, the United States government deported the wife of an Army sergeant back to Honduras on her birthday. Shirly Guardado, 27, spent 11 weeks detained at the Montgomery Processing Center in Texas. During this time, she missed her son's first birthday and her wedding anniversary with her husband, Army Sergeant Ayssac Correa, an active-duty U.S. military member.
Detention Without Warrant and Deportation Without Hearing
The misfortune began for this couple on March 13, when the young mother was apprehended at her workplace by ICE agents posing as traffic officers. They deceived her into leaving the building under the pretense of being involved in an accident, without presenting any arrest warrant. "It was all a setup to get her outside, and that's when they detained her," her husband told Telemundo 51.
Guardado entered the United States from Honduras at just 16 years old. She married Correa in 2022, and they have a son who is a U.S. citizen. She was in the process of regularizing her status through the Military Parole in Place (PIP) program, designed to protect immediate family members of military personnel from deportation. "We were on the last step," Correa mentioned. "She had her appointment a month before, and everything seemed fine." Unfortunately, the process was abruptly halted when she was placed in expedited deportation proceedings, without a judge's hearing or the right to appeal.
"They Are Tearing Us Apart as a Family"
In a video call from the detention center, Guardado expressed the deep pain caused by her detainment. "They are tearing us apart as a family." She arrived in Honduras handcuffed on a repatriation flight with 140 other Hondurans. Her brother awaited her at the airport with a bouquet for her birthday, but there was nothing to celebrate.
Correa, 25, is now alone in the U.S. with their one-year-old, grappling with frustration, anger, and helplessness. "Serving was an honor for me. I started in 2018 and was deployed to Syria. But now, I feel utterly betrayed by the country I've given so much to," he emphasized.
The military man reported that ICE has detained other soldiers' spouses, even on military bases. "We are supposed to sacrifice for this country, and they come to our homes to break our families," he shared with the program 100 Días de Trump on Noticias Telemundo.
Shirly's attorney, Martin Reza, highlighted that his client has no criminal record and has been reporting to ICE for over a decade. "She has a citizen child, a citizen and military husband. None of that mattered," he lamented.
An Uncertain Future
Correa now faces a heartbreaking decision: stay in the U.S. or leave his military career to reunite with his wife. "Once I get the necessary permits, I'm going to sell everything and take my son there," he stated.
Meanwhile, his wife tries to adjust to a country she left as a teenager, without resources, and separated from the two loves of her life. "I'm not afraid to speak out about what happened. With all of this, they just lost someone willing to give their life for this country. I no longer want to serve a nation that doesn't care for its people or its soldiers," she concluded.
This couple's case highlights, once again, the disconnect between U.S. immigration policy and the principles it claims to uphold. In the name of supposed security, families are being torn apart, even those who have pledged to protect the nation.
Key Questions on U.S. Immigration Policy
Why was Shirly Guardado deported from the United States?
Shirly Guardado was deported from the United States as part of expedited deportation proceedings without a hearing or the right to appeal, despite being in the process of regularizing her status through the Military Parole in Place program.
What impact did the deportation have on Sergeant Ayssac Correa?
Sergeant Ayssac Correa is left alone in the United States with their young child, facing feelings of frustration and betrayal by the country he serves, and contemplating leaving his military career to reunite with his wife.
What program was Shirly Guardado using to regularize her immigration status?
Shirly Guardado was utilizing the Military Parole in Place (PIP) program, which offers protection from deportation to immediate family members of U.S. military personnel.