The spouse of an active-duty Coast Guardsman was arrested this week by federal immigration enforcement inside the family residential section of the U.S. Naval Air Station in Key West, Florida.
“The spouse is not a member of the Coast Guard and was detained by Homeland Security Investigations pursuant to a lawful removal order,” said Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Steve Roth in a statement confirming Thursday’s arrest. “The Coast Guard works closely with HSI and others to enforce federal laws, including on immigration.”
The husband of the arrested woman is a Coast Guardsman assigned to the USCGC Mohawk. The vessel recently returned from a deployment in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
The married couple was moving into U.S. government housing at the nearby Naval Air Station.
The woman’s work visa expired around 2017, and she was marked for removal from the U.S. a few years later, according to the Associated Press. She and the Coast Guardsman got married earlier this year.
The woman’s name was flagged as an issue during a routine security screening required for base access. Base personnel then contacted the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.
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NCIS and Coast Guard security personnel were granted permission from the base commander to enter the installation at the Coast Guardsman’s home on Thursday, joined by personnel from Homeland Security Investigations.
The woman is reportedly still detained. Immigration officials have not stated her nationality.
