Trump-Supporting Military Veteran's Wife Detained After Overstaying Visa
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A United States combat veteran and Trump voter has told Newsweek his wife was detained by federal immigration agents at the Nogales port of entry while attempting to renew her in-country travel permit.
Eddie J. Rosa, 43, a USPS electronics technician and veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Army Reserves, and the Ohio National Guard, said his wife, Mireya Alexandra Blancarte Marquez, was arrested on August 11.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told Newsweek that Blancarte Marquez was detained due to a visa overstay and allegedly lying to Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Rosa, who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, described his wife being handcuffed, perp-walked, and paraded in front of the public "like a common criminal."
"My wife has absolutely no criminal record of any kind in this country or Mexico. As a fervent believer in our constitutional republic, I felt violated and disrespected," Rosa told Newsweek in a statement.
"I've answered my country's call and will not hesitate to do so again. But this is my wife. This was not only disrespectful but also a slap in the face to my family," he said.
"The CBP officer who detained her behaved less than professionally," Rosa said.
The veteran said he does not regret his vote for President Donald Trump.
Trump ordered his administration to remove millions of migrants without legal status and enforce stricter punishments on visa overstays. The administration is enacting plans to carry out what it describes as mass deportations and maintains that anyone living in the country unlawfully is a criminal.
File photo: Federal agents from multiple agencies monitor undocumented immigrants coming for immigration hearings at 26 Federal Plaza in New York City.
File photo: Federal agents from multiple agencies monitor undocumented immigrants coming for immigration hearings at 26 Federal Plaza in New York City.
Andrea Renault/STAR MAX
"Mireya Alexandra Blancarte Marquez was stopped and detained by CBP at the DeConcini Port of Entry after lying to CBP Officers about when she entered the country and where she was staying in the United States," a spokesperson for the DHS told Newsweek.
"During further questioning it was determined she had also overstayed her visa and I-94 travel permit," they said.
Blancarte Marquez, 40, a mother of two U.S. citizen children, has been in the United States legally on a visitor visa since November 2024, Rosa said. He added that they were in the process of filing paperwork to adjust her legal status.
Rosa, a fully disabled veteran, said the family is devastated by her detention.
"She's my caretaker. She's my only support system," he said.
Rosa said her 13-year-old son hasn't been able to go to school. His wife's sister, Adriana Blancarte, told Newsweek she has been searching for a therapist for the child.
"It's been incredibly shocking for the entire family, especially for her son. He has been depressed," she told Newsweek.
Rosa said his family has been struggling to navigate the immigration process and is raising money on GoFundMe for legal costs.
Meanwhile, he also expressed concern about the conditions at the Eloy ICE detention facility where his wife is being held.
"She is distraught and not eating," he said.
The detention center's operator, CoreCivic, told Newsweek that it provides inmates with "three nutritious meals a day."
"We take seriously our obligation to adhere to all applicable federal detention standards in all our ICE contracted facilities, including our Eloy Detention Center (EDC)," Brian Todd, a spokesperson for CoreCivic, told Newsweek.
"All of our immigration facilities operate with a significant amount of oversight and accountability, including being monitored by ICE officials on a daily basis, to ensure an appropriate standard of living and care for every detainee," Todd said.
The DHS said that Blancarte Marquez will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.
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