Trump is trying to kick Army veterans' wives out of the country

Nobody is safe from the Trump administration’s radical immigration policy of rounding up and deporting people, not even the wives of Army Special Forces veterans.

And not even the wives of Army Special Forces veterans who, under current law, are specifically protected from deportation orders.

In a battle that pits an Army veteran against Trump’s blind devotion to his anti-immigration policy, the Crawford family in Virginia continues to battle a looming deportation threat that could conclude next week.

Retired Sgt. 1st Class Bob Crawford, an Army 7th Special Forces Group veteran, is married to Elia. She arrived undocumented from Honduras in 1999 following Hurricane Mitch, which killed 7,000 people in her native country.

As the Military Times reports, Elia faces deportation orders. But that shouldn’t be a problem, because “spouses of active-duty troops or veterans are eligible for ‘Parole in Place,’ or PIP, a relief that allows spouses, children and parents of active duty, National Guard and Reserve troops and veterans who entered the U.S. illegally to remain in the country and pursue a green card.”

The ruling was put in place to make sure members of the military, especially when they’re deployed, don’t have to worry about immigration status battles for spouses back home.

But in order to apply for PIP, the Crawford’s first need the deportation order on Elia to be lifted. In the past, that would have been a routine procedure.

And Trump’s Department of Homeland Security won’t budge.

In late December, Trump’s DHS declined the Crawfords’ request. “They provided no reason as to why they came to that decision,” Crawford’s attorney told the Military Times.

“Donald Trump and his deportation forces are simply out of control, targeting a service member’s wife for deportation like this,” says Will Fischer, Iraq War veteran and director of government affairs for VoteVet.

“What’s it say to all of those who serve, what’s it say about how much we value or don’t value them, when we’ll just deport their wives and the mother of their kids like this? Donald Trump’s North Star is hate. Is this is who we want to be as a nation?”

Now Bob Crawford, who was honorably discharged in 2006 after 20 years of service and has worked as a military contractor since then, faces the prospect of his wife, and the mother of his two children, being sent back to Honduras after two decades away.

“Honduras is one of the most dangerous countries in the world, especially for a female if they know she’s a military dependent,” he said.

Note that tales of wild indifference have marked Trump’s hard-edged immigration policy. During deadly Hurricane Maria last September, Trump’s Department of Homeland Security initially promised to halt non-criminal immigration enforcement in the affected area, and then promptly broke its promise.

That means during future natural disasters many people may choose remain in hiding and face the danger of a massive storm rather than put themselves at the mercy of their federal government.

As for the Crawford’s, they remain stuck. An immigration judge in Virginia will hear their final plea on Monday. “This is kind of my last hope,” Bob Crawford said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

It’s just the latest example of Trump disrespecting members of the U.S. military.