A U.S. Marine’s parents were detained by ICE agents while they were visiting him in California. The couple was visiting their son on a military base when the incident unfolded. The family’s story has brought attention to how even military families are not safe from the Trump administration’s total immigration crackdown.
Esteban Rios and Luisa Rodriguez were at Camp Pendleton in California last month when the unexpected happened. The couple was there to pick up their pregnant daughter, Ashley Rios, and her Marine husband.
In a conversation with NBC 7 San Diego, their son Steve Rios, a US Marine, shared how his parents were stopped by ICE agents and detained. They were later allowed to go with ankle monitors being placed on them. The couple was also informed that they would be required to report back that week.
“I just kept on looking at my parents. I didn’t know if it would be the last time I’d see them,” Steve shared. The Marine shared how his father proudly flaunted the shirt he wore. The shirt read “Proud dad of a US Marine,” according to a report by Mirror US.
“He said, ‘Yeah, this is my lucky shirt, so we’ll be fine,'” Steve recalls his conversation with his father. Esteban and Luisa first arrived in America three decades ago. The couple had pending green card applications when they were taken into custody.
Federal immigration agents detained Esteban Rios and Luisa Rodriguez, parents of a U.S. Marine, during a visit to Camp Pendleton. Esteban was deported after the couple was taken while visiting their pregnant daughter. The family, with pending immigration applications, is… pic.twitter.com/aEp8dlGJy6
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Steve shares how he was able to contact his father when his parents were detained a second time. The couple was being held in the basement of an ICE federal building. They were later transported to the Otay Mesa Detention Center.
The New York Post reports that Esteban Rios faced deportation after being taken to the facility that is located near the U.S.-Mexico border. It isn’t confirmed if his wife was deported or still remains in the detention center.
Steve joined the US Marine Corps after he graduated from high school. He shares how he aimed to make his parents proud. “It was just making them proud, right? I’ve seen all the struggles they’ve gone through,” he added.
He noted how the “least” he could do was serve the country and put some time in. “I don’t think amounts to what they’ve done,” the Marine pointed out. Ashley Rios shared how the moment she heard the news of her parents being taken into custody, she “started bawling.”
