At least eight immediate family members of U.S. service members remain in federal immigration custody. military service alone does not automatically grant lawful immigration status, or exempt aliens from the consequences of violating U.S. immigration laws.” Military members have had to take leave or delay a deploymentSome service members have been left caring for children alone. Experts in military immigration law said this marks a stark shift from previous administrations across the political spectrum, including Trump’s first administration. He said that during his time as an ICE prosecutor, immigration authorities rarely detained service members' immediate family members unless they had committed violent crimes.