The parents of a U.S. Marine reservist were detained by ICE during a visit to Camp Pendleton. The incident highlights the impact of immigration enforcement on military families and raises questions about an interagency security initiative.
U.S. Marine Steve Ríos, 24, poses with a family photo from 2019 showcasing his parents, Esteban Ríos and Luis Rodríguez, captured at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego. The situation unfolded when the parents, who had come to visit family, were detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE ) at Camp Pendleton .
Ríos, a sergeant in the Marine Corps Reserves stationed in Long Beach, recounts how his parents were stopped while en route to see his pregnant sister and her husband, also a U.S. Marine, who resides at the military base. They presented their California driver’s licenses, acquired through work permits, as they had done on previous visits, only to be asked to pull over and subsequently detained by ICE agents. Ríos describes the moment he received the news as devastating, emphasizing the severity of the situation. This incident is connected to an interagency security initiative involving ICE, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which aimed to deter unauthorized access and strengthen base security, according to official statements. As part of this pilot program, ICE agents were deployed to assist in identity verification and screening procedures at entry points.\The Department of Homeland Security disclosed that Esteban Ríos faced charges of domestic violence and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in 2020, and was previously ordered to be removed from the U.S. in 2005. In an interview conducted in Tijuana, Esteban Ríos acknowledged prior deportations, explaining his return to the U.S. to be with his family. He stated that he was accused of domestic violence around 1994, but the charges were later dropped, and he denied the aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge, claiming mistaken identity. However, a search of San Diego Superior Court records on Thursday yielded no criminal charges under Esteban Ríos’s name. After their detention at Camp Pendleton, the couple, residents of Oceanside, were transferred to the ICE office in downtown San Diego, where they were fitted with ankle monitors and instructed to attend a check-in appointment. While waiting for their parents, Ríos observed an increase in the number of immigrants being detained during their ICE check-in appointments, as noted by volunteers who regularly assist immigrants with appointments. ICE has not responded to inquiries on this matter. Ríos also shared that he joined the Marines to aid his parents, who have resided in San Diego County for over three decades. Both parents obtained work permits last year due to pending U non-immigrant status cases, which are granted to victims of specific crimes. He expressed the ongoing concern about potential issues for his parents and his motivation for joining the Marine Corps to support them.\Efforts to allow immediate family members of active-duty military to stay in the U.S., through a process known as “parole in place,” have been ongoing for several years. Esteban Ríos is currently staying with a family member in Tijuana, still grappling with the events. He expressed sadness about the situation he and his wife are experiencing. Karla Kraus, the immigration attorney representing Rodríguez, confirmed that a bona fide determination was issued in her client's case last year, granting her deferred action and a work permit. Esteban Ríos, who worked as a car cleaner, hopes for a legal path to return to the U.S. someday and primarily desires his wife to remain in San Diego with their family. The narrative also includes the wife's family, including her children, praying for her opportunity to stay in the United States and be present for the birth of her first grandchild
ICE Camp Pendleton Military Families Immigration Detention
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