Maisa Lopes Eliaser, the wife of US Army Staff Sgt. Alexis Jaramillo, was removed from a deportation flight to Brazil and released from federal immigration custody. Eliaser, 32, had been issued a final order of removal by an immigration judge on April 15, after overstaying the tourist visa she used to enter the US in 2019.
Background
Eliaser was detained on July 8 while at an immigration appointment. Her husband, Jaramillo, took leave of his duties training soldiers in Fort Polk, Louisiana, to care for their 5-year-old son. Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, a former Navy officer, also looked into Eliaser’s case.
Eliaser was placed on a deportation flight to Brazil when US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers on the plane received a phone call about her mid-flight. She was then asked by an ICE officer whether she wanted to continue on to Brazil or go back to the US. Eliaser stayed on the plane and returned to Louisiana.
The US Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Danitza James, president of the organization Repatriate Our Patriots, which supports military families facing deportation and helped with Eliaser’s case, said, ‘This family’s reunion is proof of what’s possible when people set politics aside and do right by those who serve.’
Eliaser has another appointment scheduled for Monday in an effort to reopen her case and advance her green card application. Jaramillo is a US citizen, and the couple have been married since 2024.
Original reporting: 40/29 / KHBS (NW Arkansas) — read the source article.
