Immigrants Turn to Military Enlistment to Protect Families

In parts of Oregon, a profound shift is underway. On one hand, the Trump Administration has threated to deploy the National Guard in response to protests In Portland. On the other, young U.S. citizens like 20-year-old Lindsey Vasquez are turning to military service to protect their undocumented parents under pressure from U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Lindsey, a U.S. citizen with undocumented immigrant parents, decided to enlist in the Oregon National Guard, not primarily for the traditional military incentives, but as a lifeline for her family. Lindsey’s decision to purse a role as a logistics specialist in the Guard was fueled by a new reality: enrolling made her eligible to place her parents under Parole in Place (PIP), an immigration mechanism offering temporary protection from deportation for the undocumented parents and spouses of service members. Places like Oregon, with large Latino/a/e populations, have seen a surge in citizens like Lindsey seeking the National Guard’s dual promise: service and a shield for loved ones.

PIP allows undocumented parents, spouses, or children of active-duty service members or reserves to remain in the U.S., avoid deportation, and pursue a fast-tracked path to a green card and, eventually, U.S. citizenship. Previously, military enlistment primarily appealed to families hoping to access education benefits, housing, or a sense of purpose. Today, it’s also being promoted as a family protection strategy.

With the help of Immigration Counseling Service (ICS), Lindsey balanced military training with working at a department store and ultimately secured a PIP for her family, offering an expedited route toward permanent residency. “When so many traditional immigration pathways are disappearing, families are being pushed into impossible situations,” says Nora C., an accredited representative with ICS who has helped Lindsey and other clients apply for PIP. “We’ve had to get creative and find every lawful option, like Parole in Place, to keep families together. At ICS, this isn’t just legal work anymore; it’s crisis management. The stakes are so high for so many people.”