WASHINGTON (AP) – The wife of an active coast guard was arrested earlier this week by federal immigration authorities in the family residency area at U.S. Naval Air Station in Key West, Florida.
“The spouse was not a member of the Coast Guard and was detained in a homeland security investigation under a legal removal order,” said the Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Colonel. Steve Ross in a statement confirming his bass arrest on Thursday. “The Coast Guard is working closely with HSI and others to enforce federal laws, including immigration.”
According to US officials, the woman’s workplace visa expired around 2017, and she was marked for removal from the US a few years later. She and the coast guard married earlier this year, an official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the enforcement case said.
however Trump The administration made immigrant arrests a top priority for federal law enforcement, but it was not immediately apparent that arrests of military spouses were part of a wider sweep.
Officials said when she and the woman Coast Guard My husband was preparing to move to an Onbase residence on Wednesday, so they went to the Visitor Control Center to get a pass so they could access the installation in Key West. During regular security screenings required for basic access, the female names were flagged as issue.
Base officials contacted the Navy Criminal Investigation Service, which investigated the issue, officials said. NCIS and Coast Guard guards went to the Coast Guard home Thursday after receiving permission from the base commander to enter the installation, officials said. They were joined by officials from the Homeland Security Investigation. Immigration and customs enforcement.
The HSI eventually detained her spouse, and officials said they believe she is still in custody. Authorities did not provide the name of her country of origin.
The Coast Guard introduced questions regarding the woman’s identity, immigrant status and the ice charges, which did not respond to a request for comment on Saturday. The Department of Homeland Security also did not respond to requests for comment.
The arrested woman’s husband is a coastal security guard assigned to USCGC Mohawk, a Key West-based 270-foot-long cutter. The couple had moved to a US government residence at a nearby Naval Air Station.
An online database that tracks the movement of the ship shows that Mohawks have been docked at their home port since mid-March. According to a media release on March 16, the ship has recently returned following a 70-day deployment into the Eastern Pacific with a mission to intercept illegal drug shipments.
In a statement, the Navy said “we have worked fully with federal law enforcement authorities on this issue, and we take security and access seriously at our Navy facilities.”
