One way the U.S. military recruits service members is by promoting enlistment as a means of protecting family members from immigration enforcement. An AP investigation revealed that at least 50 parents and spouses of active-duty U.S. service members have been detained by immigration officers following rollbacks in immigration protections for military families during President Donald Trump’s second term.
The AP provided the first accounting of such detentions after analyzing thousands of federal court records and other sources. The federal government does not track this data.
Reporter Jack Brook, based in New Orleans, laid the groundwork for the exclusive while spending months reporting on active-duty U.S. soldiers whose spouses were facing deportation. After sources alerted him to additional soldiers affected amid the war in Iran, he teamed up with reporters Safiyah Riddle and Aaron Kessler to document those cases and determine the scope of the issue.
The team identified 52 cases, a number that surprised even advocates who work closely with military families and is likely an undercount. Powerful on-camera interviews by video journalists Kendria LaFleur and Haven Daley with affected service members brought the human impact behind the numbers to life, creating a compelling all-formats package.
Following the AP report, congressional Democrats said they would investigate whether the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security were coordinating efforts that could lead to the deportation of military service members’ family members.
Judges praised the strength of the visuals, the compelling on-camera interviews and the depth of the reporting, including accounts from service members who said potential immigration protections played a role in their decision to enlist.
For their rigorous work examining how the U.S. government treats the families of its service members, Brook, Riddle, Kessler, Shafer, LaFleur and Daley win this week’s Best of AP — Second Winner.
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