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Annie Ramos: 5 things to know about US Army Seargent Matthew Blank's wife detained by ICE
Newlywed Annie Ramos was detained by immigration officials at a Louisiana Army base during a routine visit, separating her from husband Sgt. Matthew Blank.
A newly married couple’s plan to start their life together at a US Army base in Louisiana took a sudden turn when Annie Ramos was detained by immigration authorities. What was supposed to be a simple visit to get her military spouse, ID quickly turned into a shocking moment that separated her from her husband, US Army Staff Sergeant Matthew Blank, within hours.
Annie who is a 22-year-old student and grew up in the United States, now finds herself at the center of a legal and emotional crisis. The case has caused outrage, highlighting how the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown is affecting military families.
Annie has no criminal record and was just months away from finishing her biochemistry degree and had already hired a lawyer to start her green card process before her wedding. Yet she is now in a detention center in Louisiana.
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She was brought to the US as a toddler and grew up here
Annie Ramos who is now 22 came to the United States from Honduras when she was very young. She grew up in Houston, Texas, went to school there, and joined her high school marching band.
She does not remember Honduras and has no real connection to it. “I grew up here like any American,” she said during a phone call from the detention center.
“This is all I know. My husband and family are here.” Even though she spent her whole life in the US and she never got legal immigration status which has now changed everything for her.
She has no criminal record and was close to finishing her degree
According to The New York Times, Annie has no criminal record. In fact, she teaches Sunday school and is studying biochemistry. And she was just months away from finishing her degree. Her studies are funded by TheDream.US and her DACA application in 2020 was never processed after the Trump administration halted the program for new applicants.
She was detained just days after her wedding
Annie and Matthew Blank, 23, had just celebrated their wedding in Houston. A few days later, they went to Fort Polk in Louisiana to get her military spouse ID and move her into their home on the base. But within hours of checking in at the visitor center, ICE agents arrived and took her away in handcuffs. “She was going to move in after the Easter weekend. Instead, she got ripped away from me,” Sergeant Blank said, according to the New York Times.
She had a deportation order issued when she was less than two years old
Annie’s deportation order was issued in 2005 when she was just 22 months old after her family missed an immigration court hearing. Immigration experts say cases like Annie’s were very common and earlier, someone like her would not have been detained under past policies.
Her husband is fighting to bring her home
Sergeant Blank said his military leaders are supporting him as he works to free his wife. He also went to the detention center with her green card papers, but was not allowed to bring them in.
