Parents detained, one deported after visiting family at Camp Pendleton

Camp Pendleton File photo by Chris Stone Times of San Diego Parents of a U S Marine were detained by federal immigration functionaries and one of them was later deported after visiting family members at a California military base a affair that has drawn attention to how the executive s immigration crackdown is touching military families Steve Rios a Marine from Oceanside California informed NBC San Diego that his parents Esteban Rios and Luisa Rodriguez were taken into custody late last month while picking up his pregnant sister Ashley Rios and her husband who is also a Marine at Camp Pendleton The couple who came to the United States from Mexico three decades ago and had pending green card applications were stopped by immigration agents and later issued with ankle monitors Steve Rios declared At a later check-in with federal immigration personnel they were detained and taken into custody he commented Esteban Rios who had been wearing a hat and shirt that read Proud Dad of a U S Marine was deported on Friday his son commented He revealed Yeah this is my lucky shirt so we ll be fine Rios recalled his father saying Marine Corps recruiters have long promoted enlistment as a path to stability for families without legal immigration status but experts say those assurances have eroded as federal agents have moved to enforce existing laws more strictly The Marine Corps previously explained The Associated Press that recruiters have been informed they are not the proper authority to imply that the Marine Corps can secure immigration relief for applicants or their families A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Safeguard Tricia McLaughlin announced in a announcement to The Associated Press that people who break the law would face consequences Requests for additional information on Wednesday were not promptly returned Messages seeking additional comment were sent to the contact addresses and telephone numbers listed for the Rios family The episode comes as the Trump administration pursues an aggressive immigration enforcement campaign which has at times ensnared the relatives of military members and veterans In June a Louisiana Marine veteran commented immigration personnel detained his wife even though she was still nursing their -month-old daughter And in July a U S Army veteran who was born and raised in California was arrested during an immigration raid at a marijuana farm where he worked in guard George Retes was detained for three days at the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles then distributed without being charged