Senators, advocates urge support for military Parole in Place program

WASHINGTON — Democratic senators and military family advocates on Wednesday urged the Trump administration to remain committed to a government program that protects undocumented family members of service members from deportation.

The Parole in Place program, launched in 2013, allows undocumented parents, spouses and children of service members to remain in the U.S. while pursuing an expedited path to permanent residency.

But under the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, more than 50 parents and spouses of active-duty service members have been detained, with some deported, according to Danitza James, president of the veterans group Repatriate Our Patriots.

“Our service members must remain focused on the mission and know that while they’re defending our country, their government will uphold its commitment to the families they leave behind,” she said. “Right now, too many of our immigrant families do not have that certainty.”

James, an Army veteran, and other advocates rallied on Capitol Hill in support of the program after sending letters detailing the plight of affected troops to the Presidential Military Spouse Commission.

The commission, headed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s wife, Jennifer Hegseth, was created in August to advise the president on quality-of-life issues affecting military spouses and families.

Advocates argued that the Parole in Place program should be a top priority for the panel as family members of service members are increasingly detained by federal immigration agents.

An aide adjusts a sign ahead of a news conference in support of the Parole in Place program on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026, at the Capitol in Washington. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)

In one case, a military spouse was detained at the same base where her husband served, James said. In another, a soldier took leave to advocate for his father’s release after he was detained during raids in Los Angeles. The father died several weeks after his release.

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., recounted the story of the father of a Marine who had been approved for the Parole in Place program and was days away from filing his green card application when he was arrested and sent to a detention facility thousands of miles away.

“His son, just 20 years old, continues to serve our country at a military base in North Carolina, while the Trump administration continues efforts to deport” his father, Wyden said.

Louis Caldera, a former secretary of the Army, said the purpose of the Parole in Place program is to assure that troops from mixed-status families can focus on their military duties without being distracted or preoccupied with the potential deportation of family members.

“Our service members simply cannot fight wars or even train to fight wars when they are simultaneously fighting at their own expense against the detention and deportation of their spouses and parents,” he said.

He added that the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense, Congress and past administrations have recognized the program as critical to national security.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., called for the codification of the program into law so that the protections it provides do not change depending on the administration.

“It is a betrayal to our heroes to have a family member detained or deported by the same nation that they are sacrificing to defend,” she said. “No service member should be forced to choose between fulfilling their military obligations and protecting their families.”

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., speaks in support of the Parole in Place program during a news conference on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026, at the Capitol in Washington.  (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)