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Written by: Super User

Category: Uncategorised

Published: 25 July 2026

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TALKING POINTS: DETENTION OF VETERAN ARTURO
QUINONEZ
Who He Is:

• Arturo Quinonez Solis is a Gulf War-era Navy veteran, currently detained at Camp East Montana
inside Fort Bliss.

• His father is a U.S. citizen. He and his legal team are working to establish that he acquired U.S.
citizenship at birth through his father.

• His wife, Carmen Quinonez, has been a naturalized U.S. citizen since 2008.
Medical Urgency

• On 22 June, Arturo had surgery to implant a defibrillator; his heart is operating at only 30 percent
efficiency (earlier reporting had cited a range of 18 to 40 percent for pre/post-surgery function).

• He takes numerous medications, addressing not only his heart condition but also multiple other
service-related injuries, including PTSD. He could have a fatal heart attack at any moment and has
not been cleared to travel. The deportation flight itself could be fatal.

• He is prescribed 8 medications total, 2 of which are specifically for his heart, with doses required
both morning and evening.

• He is supposed to be connected at all times to a cardiac monitor that requires both power and WiFi.
He does not have this device in his cell, and officers would not allow his wife to bring it to him
without undergoing a lengthy “approval process” even though it is part of his treatment that allows
his Drs to see in real-time if he is having a heart attack again(!!).

• On the day of detention, roughly 5 vehicles arrived. He became pale during the encounter; his wife
told ICE agents he had just had surgery, could not raise his arm, and was on medication.• Carmen gave all of his prescription medications to ICE agents on the day he was detained (Saturday,
18 July), and ICE has had possession of them since, to no avail, because they have yet to give him
any of it.

• Since detention, he has been given only Tylenol and aspirin, no specialized medication for his heart
or other conditions.

• He is currently reported as pale, weak, in pain, and at risk of a heart attack at any time. He is also
considered in no condition to fly following his June 22nd surgery; a deportation flight could itself be
fatal.

• Before detention, he was receiving service-connected disability treatment at William Beaumont
Army Medical Center; deportation would cut off that care entirely.
Circumstances of Detention

• His humanitarian parole expired June 30, 2026.

• This was his first time leaving the house since his surgery; he had been under active
surveillance leading up to the arrest.

• Officers informed him that he would be flown out to Chiapas the following morning.
Advocates note two specific dangers of this deportation: loss of access to his service-
connected medical treatment, and the documented risk that deported veterans are targeted by
cartels seeking to force them to train members.

Treatment of His Wife, Carmen
• Officers also attempted to detain Carmen despite her being a naturalized citizen since 2008.

• They told her that her U.S. passport and driver's license were not sufficient proof.• The officer questioning Carmen berated her for declaring she was a U.S. citizen if she was
foreign-born. An officer who ACTUALLY understands immigration law would have been
clear that naturalized citizens are foreign-born. Confirms what we’ve known- that officers
are not trained properly on the laws they claim to enforce.

Advocacy Asks
• Immediate access to his prescribed heart, PTSD, and other service-related medications, and
to his required cardiac monitor.

• Halt to the imminent deportation flight to Chiapas until USCIS has reviewed and
adjudicated his claim to citizenship acquired at birth through his U.S. citizen father.

• Independent medical evaluation given the recent defibrillator surgery, current condition
(pale, weak, in pain), and unfitness to fly.

• Accountability for the treatment of Carmen Quinonez, a U.S. citizen, during the arrest.
Template Ask for Elected Officials

• Request the official's office advocate to stop the deportation of a potential U.S. citizen and
veteran until USCIS can review and adjudicate his citizenship application.

Who to Contact
Using the information provided, supporters should reach out to the offices listed below. Fort
Bliss and El Paso fall in Texas's 16th Congressional District, represented by Rep. Veronica Escobar;

Texas's two U.S. Senators are John Cornyn and Ted Cruz.
Rep. Veronica Escobar (TX-16, covers Fort Bliss and El Paso)• DC office: 2448 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515. Phone: (202) 225-
4831
• El Paso office: Wells Fargo Plaza, 221 N. Kansas St., Suite 1500, El Paso, TX 79901.
Phone: (915) 541-1400
• Contact form: escobar.house.gov/contact
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX)
• DC office: 517 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510. Phone: (202) 224-2934
• Contact form: cornyn.senate.gov/contact-john-cornyn
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)
• DC office: 127A Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510. Phone: (202) 224-
5922
• Contact form: cruz.senate.gov/contact
U.S. Capitol Switchboard (connects to any member's office): (202) 224-3121
Texas Governor Greg Abbott
• P.O. Box 12428, Austin, TX 78711. Phone: (512) 463-2000
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick (POS)
• P.O. Box 12068, Austin, TX 78711. Phone: (512) 463-0001
Email Script
Good afternoon [OFFICIAL'S NAME AND TITLE],My name is [NAME]. I am a [MILITARY/VETERAN STATUS AND BRANCH]. I am writing to
you about Mr. Arturo Quinonez Solis, a Gulf War and Navy veteran, who is currently detained at
Camp East Montana inside Ft. Bliss.
His family has been trying to advocate for access to his medication, as he is VERY delicate.
Mr. Quinonez Solis had a surgery on June 22nd to implant a defibrillator, as his heart is only
operating at 30% efficiency. He takes NUMEROUS medications to help not only with his heart
condition but also with multiple other service-related injuries, including PTSD. He has been denied
access to those medications since he was detained last Saturday, July 18th. He has only been
provided with Tylenol and aspirin, but not the specialized medication he needs. It's important to
highlight that ICE picked up the medication from his wife, and it has been in their possession since
July 18th. At this point, he is pale, weak, in pain, and at risk of a heart attack any given moment.
Mr. Quinonez Solis has a potential claim to U.S citizenship. He has been working with
his legal team to prove that he acquired U.S.Citizenship at birth from his U.S. citizen father.
Furthermore, officers informed him this morning that he would be flown out to Chiapas
tomorrow morning. Deporting Mr. Quinonez means sending him to his death on two prongs:
1) he will lose access to medical treatment for the service-connected disabilities that he was
receiving at William Beaumont Army Medical Center and 2) deporting him to his natal Mexico
means deporting him directly into to the hands of cartels as it is well-known and reported that these
organizations hound deported veterans to force them to train their members. Additionally, Mr.
Quinonez Solis is in no condition to fly after his June 22nd surgery. The deportation flight itself
may be fatal.I am requesting your office's advocacy to help stop the deportation of a potential U.S.
citizen combat veteran until USCIS has had a chance to review his application regarding his
acquired citizenship and adjudicate it.