Mayor Jones urges Pentagon, DHS to rethink enforcement against military spouses – WOAI

Mayor Jones urges Pentagon, DHS to rethink enforcement against military spouses  WOAI

SAN ANTONIO – Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones is asking top federal officials to reconsider immigration enforcement actions involving military spouses and other qualified family members as they go through the legal immigration process. In a letter sent Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2026, Jones wrote to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin, requesting that their departments “reconsider their immigration enforcement activities toward military spouses and service members’ qualified family members as they legally proceed through the immigration process.” Jones cited “the recent report of a military spouse being apprehended and detained by federal immigration officials in September 2026 while on base at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi,” calling it “deeply troubling.” “According to the report, the spouse was seeking to obtain an identification card needed to access healthcare and other family benefits while her soldier spouse was away,” Jones wrote.

Jones said she is concerned such actions could affect military recruitment and add stress for families. “We fear such actions may dampen interest in military service, while introducing unneeded stress during a time of heightened military operations,” Jones wrote. “As Military City USA, we recognize and appreciate the service of everyone courageous enough to support and defend the Constitution, and the family members—irrespective of citizenship—who make that service possible.” Jones also pointed to San Antonio’s military