# ICE deported a midshipman's mother > A Naval Academy plebe started his second week of classes, and then his mother was deported to Mexico. - Title: ICE deported a midshipman's mother · The Banner | Shortify - Summary: A Naval Academy plebe started his second week of classes, and then his mother was deported to Mexico. The immigration crackdown is now hitting the families… - Keywords: immigration, naval academy, ice, deportation, military families, news, local, deported, midshipman's, mother, The Banner - Source: The Banner — https://thebanner.com/opinion/column/naval-academy-david-garcia-ice-mother-VBGN3QSCHRENPOCPDWKI73TIFQ - Author: Rick Hutzell - Published: 2026-09-13T09:30:00+00:00 - Read time: 2 min - Topics: immigration, naval academy, ice, deportation, military families, news, local ## A plebe loses his mother David Garcia started at the Naval Academy this summer. Weeks later, ICE deported his mother to Mexico. > I don't know what David Garcia will do now that ICE has deported his mother to Mexico. ## Nobody would blame him for leaving If Garcia walked away from Annapolis and said to hell with defending America, plenty of people would understand. Columnist Rick Hutzell hopes he stays. ## Nominated for service Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas put Garcia's name forward for the academy, citing his academic record and his commitment to serving the country. > I proudly nominated David Garcia to the U.S. Naval Academy because of his academic excellence and commitment to service. ## She went to her interview Maria Rocio Rocha lived in Texas under parole in place, a status that lets some relatives of citizens apply for residency. She showed up at the immigration office in San Antonio. ## Arrested and sent to Dilley Agents detained Rocha and took her to the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in South Texas, a facility that holds up to 20,000 people facing immigration charges. > She was doing everything the right way. ## A phone call, then a parade Castro called Garcia on Sept. 2 to tell him his mother had been deported. The next day, plebes marched in full dress at the first formal parade of the year. > Maria should be home, not torn apart from her family and life. ## Not what was promised Trump campaigned on removing dangerous criminals and tightening the border. The Associated Press found the administration routinely detaining spouses and relatives of service members. ## Protections stripped away Citizenship paths tied to enlistment have been rolled back, Biden-era parole status revoked, and thousands of Haitian Marylanders face deportation with 20,000 Salvadorans possibly next. ## Public opinion is turning Support for the crackdown has fallen from about half the country a year ago to 35% in recent polling. Each case like Rocha's moves the number further. > Eventually, I believe, the American people will do the right thing. ## The economy runs on them Construction, agriculture and hospitality take the hardest hit, and Maryland's economy leans on guest worker visas. The damage spreads well past those three sectors. > It's not just about economics. It's about who we are as a society. ## We have done this before Laws in the 19th and 20th centuries cut off or expelled immigrants from Asia, Southern Europe, Mexico and Russia. The country recovered from those purges too. > We are a nation of immigrants, and their capacity for reinvention is among the greatest engines of our society. ## Who should write the fix Amnesty for the unjustly deported and a real path to residency have to follow. The people hurt worst, Garcia among them, should lead that work. > We need the David Garcias of tomorrow to help this country move past the pain of today. ## Key takeaway The immigration crackdown is now hitting the families of people serving in uniform, and the people it hurts most should help write the reform that follows.