Iraq veteran in Laveen detained by ICE agents while running errands
Iraq veteran in Arizona detained by ICE agents
A Phoenix area veteran who served two tours in Iraq is facing deportation. While Marlon Parris has criminal record from an incident more than 10 years ago, his wife said federal officials had previously sent him a letter, stating he would not be deported. FOX 10's Kenzie Beach reports.
PHOENIX - A Phoenix area veteran who served two tours in Iraq is facing deportation, and his wife is now working with legislators in order to bring him back home.
"Our life has literally been flipped upside down," said Marlon Parris's wife, Tanisha Parris. "I'm just so confused."
What we know:
On Jan. 22, Parris was detained by ICE agents just blocks away from his family's home in Laveen.
He was running errands for his family at the time he was detained.
Currently, Parris is being held at a detention center in Florence.
The backstory:
Parris established a home in Arizona, and thought he was doing everything to be here legally.
A father, husband, and U.S. combat veteran, Parris is originally from the Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago.
"For you to even serve a country that you are not truly a native of, I feel like that alone is so selfless," said Tanisha.
Parris was issued a green card in 1997, and has successfully renewed it every 10 years. A decade ago, however, Parris pleaded guilty to a non-violent felony drug charge as a first-time offender. He served prison time, and was released in 2016.
It was something that Tanisha said changed the course of her husband's life.
"Here we are, nine years later, with no type of occurrences," said Tanisha. "Nothing much. Just a speeding ticket."
After his stint in prison, Parris turned his life around. Even after being incarcerated, his green card was renewed during the last Trump Administration. Parris even has a letter from federal agencies, stating he would not be deported.
"He is not amenable to deportation or exclusion proceedings. DHS has no further interest in this case," read a portion of a letter signed by officials with the Department of Homeland Security.
"You need to be true to your word," Tanisha said. "You check the box, put your signature on something stating that he would not be deported."
The other side:
We reached out to officials with ICE and DHS about the case.
However, Feb. 17 is President's Day, which is a federal holiday. Therefore, the only response we have received thus far was that officials were out of the office for the day.
What's next:
Tanisha is speaking with senators from Arizona, amid a search for answers.
"We need to come to the table and agree that deporting veterans is not the right answer."