To Shield Parents From Deportation, US Citizens Join 'PIP'

In parts of rural America, the pitch to join the military now comes with an unusual hook: It might keep your parents from being deported. A little-used federal program called Parole in Place, or PIP, has quietly turned into a recruiting tool for the National Guard, especially in immigrant-heavy pockets like central Oregon, reports the New York Times. Only citizens and green-card holders can enlist, but once they do, undocumented parents and spouses can gain protection from deportation and a faster path to legal status. As immigration enforcement has intensified under President Trump's second term, recruiters say interest in the program has grown.

Sgt. First Class Rosa Cortez, a full-time Oregon National Guard recruiter and daughter of undocumented Mexican farmworkers, now spends her days straddling that divide. She talks up service, education benefits, and disaster-response work—but she also sits across from nervous 20-somethings whose first question is not about bonuses, but about whether the Guard can shield their moms. One recent prospect was Juan, 23, who initially contacted Cortez after seeing a social media video. When she probed his life goals, he answered bluntly that he wanted his mom to qualify for PIP "so that she doesn't have to leave the country."

The program grew out of a 2007 Iraq War tragedy: After Sgt. Alex Jimenez was kidnapped and later found dead, his undocumented wife faced deportation, spurring an outcry and policy shift. It was formalized in 2013 to give troops "peace of mind" about family left at home. The benefit disappears if the service member ditches or is dishonorably discharged, but usage has still climbed. Roughly 11,500 relatives benefited in 2023, up 35% from the year before. In places like Nevada, about one-fifth of new Guard recruits have used it.

For families, the stakes are personal and immediate. In The Dalles, a small Columbia River town in Oregon, ICE agents recently arrested father of five Salvador Muratalla in Home Depot, an incident that packed a City Council meeting with Hispanic residents. Meanwhile, recruits like 20-year-old Guard member Lindsey Vazquez have already leveraged PIP to secure work permits and Social Security numbers for parents who crossed the border decades ago. Meanwhile, back in Cortez's office, Juan wavered—torn between his girlfriend, fear of basic training, and his mother's vulnerability—before ultimately passing the entrance exam, moving one step closer to signing on in order, above all, to keep his family together. More here.