Immigration Officers Remove Soldier’s Wife From Deportation Flight, Release Her From Federal Custody

Maisa Lopes Eliaser, the spouse of an active-duty U.S. Army soldier, has been released from federal immigration custody after officers pulled her from a deportation aircraft bound for Brazil on Wednesday. The 32-year-old Brazilian national had spent more than 30 days in detention before being removed from the flight mid-journey, according to statements she provided to the Associated Press.

The case drew national attention after the AP reported earlier this month on dozens of military-connected individuals detained following the Trump administration’s rollback of protections for service members’ families. The reporting prompted Congressional Democrats to initiate an investigation into deportations affecting military personnel and their dependents.

According to Eliaser, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers aboard the aircraft received a telephone call regarding her case and subsequently offered her the choice to continue to Brazil or return to the United States. She elected to return, and while other detainees exited the plane in Brazil, Eliaser remained aboard and flew back to Louisiana.

Army Staff Sgt. Alexis Jaramillo, 43, Eliaser’s husband and an aviation operations specialist with over a decade of military service, expressed uncertainty about who initiated the crucial phone call. “But someone made the phone call, and then she came back,” he told the AP, noting that ICE officers informed his wife she had become “famous” due to video coverage of her detention.

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, did not provide immediate comment. DHS previously confirmed that an immigration judge issued Eliaser a final removal order on April 15 after she overstayed a tourist visa obtained upon entering the country in 2019.

Jaramillo took emergency leave from his duties training soldiers at Fort Polk, Louisiana, following Eliaser’s detention on July 8 to care for her 5-year-old son. Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, a retired Navy officer, also examined the couple’s situation, though his office has not yet responded to requests for additional details.

Danitza James, president of Repatriate Our Patriots, an advocacy organization supporting military families in deportation proceedings, hailed the reunion as evidence of bipartisan cooperation. “We won’t stop until every military family facing detention gets the same chance at justice,” James stated.

Eliaser has another immigration appointment scheduled for Monday to attempt reopening her case and advance her green card application. The couple, married since 2024, remain cautious despite assurances from officials that no further complications should arise.

Eliaser described ongoing psychological distress from her detention, saying she continues to struggle with sleep and fears reinstatement of her removal order. “It felt like I was in a nightmare,” she said, characterizing her treatment in the detention facility as inhumane and noting she is working daily to recover from the trauma experienced.