Army Sergeant Matthew Blank’s wife was arrested by ICE as soon as he reported to his Louisiana base.
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement released 22-year-old Annie Ramos, the wife of Army Sergeant Matthew Blank who was arrested on April 2 after Matthew reported to his military base days after his wedding. Ramos was brought to the US as a toddler from Honduras and she is undocumented but her Green Card application was in the process when she got arrested. A DHS spokesperson said Ramos will wear a GPS monitor while she’s free and the government will continue the removal proceedings against her. Ramos is eligible for DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and but the program remains halted for new applicants over legal hurdles. Ramos received a scholarship from TheDream.US, which helps undocumented youth pay for school. Undocumented immigrants who marry US citizens are eligible for a marriage-based Green Card. Relatives of soldiers are also eligible for other benefits and her husband said he was registering his wife’s name for that purpose when the officials asked for her US ID proof which she did not have — and was eventually arrested. “I never imagined that trying to do the right thing — registering my wife so she could receive her military ID, access the benefits she is entitled to as my spouse, and begin the process toward her green card — would lead to her being taken away from me,” Sergeant Blank said in a statement after Ramos’ arrest. “Instead of preparing for our future together, I am now fighting for her freedom.”“I am proud to serve this country. I am proud to be her husband. And I will stand by her, no matter what it takes,” Blank said of Ramos.DHS said the arrest was triggered by the set of rules in place, as an undocumented person attempted to enter a military base. “She has no legal status to be in this country and was issued a final order of removal by a judge. This administration is not going to ignore the rule of law. She illegally crossed the southern border and entered the US in February 2005. After she failed to show up for her immigration hearing, she was issued a final order of removal by a judge on April 7, 2005,” the DHS spokesperson said. She was 20 months old at that time.
