Story perspectives

ICE Releases Sergeant’s Wife After Senator’s Intervention

5/16/2026

Summary

Story summary

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) released Deisy Rivera Ortega, wife of Sgt. 1st Class Jose Serrano, from El Paso after a month.
She had a work permit, Parole in Place, and a 2019 removal order, despite DHS requiring GPS monitoring, home visits, and ICE check-ins.
Senator Tammy Duckworth called DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin to request the release, after which czar Tom Homan said it will be reviewed with ICE discretion.

History

Historical Context

The 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, signed by President Bill Clinton, dramatically expanded mandatory detention for undocumented migrants. The law empowered the Immigration and Naturalization Service, allocated $1.5 billion for enforcement, and raised annual removals to over 100,000 by 2000. Today's ICE release of Deisy Rivera Ortega, after Senator Tammy Duckworth's appeal to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, mirrors the act’s discretionary release provisions. The precedent shows that political pressure can override strict detention rules, prompting future legislative reviews of immigration enforcement priorities.

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Story summary

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) released Deisy Rivera Ortega, wife of Sgt. 1st Class Jose Serrano, from El Paso after a month.
She had a work permit, Parole in Place, and a 2019 removal order, despite DHS requiring GPS monitoring, home visits, and ICE check-ins.
Senator Tammy Duckworth called DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin to request the release, after which czar Tom Homan said it will be reviewed with ICE discretion.

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