More than $30K Raised for Soldier's Wife Released from Detention

Financial support is adding up for a U.S. soldier and his wife, after she was detained and then released from a federal immigration detention facility following being taken into custody at a Louisiana military base last week.

A GoFundMe page has so far raised more than $30,000 for 22-year-old Annie Ramos, the Honduran-born wife of Army staff sergeant Matthew Blank. The couple was married just two days before her detention.

“People are being incredibly supportive with their donations,” said Blank’s mother, Jen Rickling, in an interview with Military.com. “What we had set aside to help with Annie’s immigration file before this happened, has been exhausted.”

Ramos had been detained by federal immigration agents while attempting to register at Fort Polk military base to receive benefits and ultimately obtain a green card. She has lived in the country since she was under two years old. DHS maintains Ramos had been ordered removed by a federal immigration judge in 2005 after her family failed to appear for a hearing.

Her detention last week, and then release after nearly a week, has been a rollercoaster of emotions for her family.

“It’s a huge sense of relief to have her back and to see her and Matthew together again,” said Rickling. “As a mom, I was worried for Annie and my son.”

The federal government, over several administrations, has practiced immigration enforcement leniency toward the family members of military personnel and veterans. In the past, the government has promoted the protection of U.S. soldiers' family members from deportation as a recruiting incentive, but not under the Trump Administration.

On the family’s GoFundMe page, Elizabeth Kluball, Blank’s sister, defended her sister-in-law as a law-abiding citizen who didn’t deserve to be detained.

“My sister-in-law has been a part of her community for nearly her entire life, having come to the United States as a baby. She is a student at ASU and has strong ties to the United States,” Kluball wrote on the site, which has been reviewed by Military.com. “Our family was shaken when she was detained by ICE, despite her deep roots and connections here.”

The family of the military couple says Ramos and Blank were trying to gain legal status for Ramos before they were married, including by applying for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in 2020. They say her application has been stalled amid legal battles to eliminate the program, putting her freedom at risk.

“It was always in the back of their minds that this could happen,” said Rickling. “But my son was trying to do everything right, by registering Annie as his wife on base, and documenting everything.”

Rickling would not comment on where Annie is being living now, but says her son is back on base continuing his military service. She says she’s grateful for the outpouring of support they’ve received on and off base.

“We are very grateful to all of Matthew’s chain of command. They have been incredibly supportive,” Rickling said.

The GoFundMe page continues to accept donations on Ramos and Blank’s behalf.

Please support our family as we navigate this legal situation,” the website reads. “Any contribution, no matter the size, will make a meaningful difference. We are deeply grateful for your kindness, generosity, and willingness to stand with us during this difficult chapter.”