To Shield Parents From Deportation, US Citizens Join ‘PIP’

In some rural parts of the United States, military recruiters are offering a little-known incentive that has become increasingly compelling for young people from immigrant families: enlisting may help protect their parents from deportation.

The program, known as Parole in Place (PIP), allows undocumented parents and spouses of service members to receive protection from removal and a faster path to legal status. Though it has existed for years, it is now being used more actively as a recruiting draw for the National Guard, particularly in immigrant-heavy regions such as central Oregon, according to reporting by the New York Times. Only U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents can enlist, but their service can extend legal relief to close family members. As immigration enforcement has intensified during President Trump’s second term, recruiters say interest in the program has increased.

Sgt. First Class Rosa Cortez, a full-time Oregon National Guard recruiter and the daughter of undocumented Mexican farmworkers, regularly navigates this reality. While she promotes military service, education benefits, and disaster response work, many of the young adults she meets are focused on a more urgent concern: whether joining the Guard can help keep their parents in the country.

One recent prospect, Juan, 23, reached out after seeing a recruiting video on social media. When Cortez asked about his goals, he was direct. His main motivation, he said, was helping his mother qualify for PIP “so that she doesn’t have to leave the country.”

Parole in Place traces its origins to a 2007 tragedy during the Iraq War. After Sgt. Alex Jimenez was kidnapped and later found dead, his undocumented wife faced deportation, prompting public outrage and calls for reform. The policy was formally established in 2013 to give service members peace of mind about their families’ legal status. The benefit can be revoked if the service member deserts or is dishonorably discharged, but participation has continued to rise. In 2023, about 11,500 family members received protection through PIP, a 35 percent increase from the previous year. In states like Nevada, roughly one in five new Guard recruits has used the program.

For families, the issue is deeply personal. In The Dalles, a small town along Oregon’s Columbia River, the recent arrest of Salvador Muratalla, a father of five, by ICE agents at a Home Depot sparked an emotional City Council meeting attended by many Hispanic residents. At the same time, recruits such as 20-year-old Guard member Lindsey Vazquez have already used PIP to help their parents—who crossed the border decades ago—obtain work permits and Social Security numbers.

Back in Cortez’s office, Juan wrestled with his decision. He worried about leaving his girlfriend and feared basic training, but his mother’s vulnerability weighed heaviest. After passing the entrance exam, he moved one step closer to enlisting—motivated above all by the hope of keeping his family together.

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