When Sgt. Tyler Garza took his oath of enlistment, he promised to defend the Constitution, but he never foresaw that his promise could be at the expense of his family.

Garza, a Fort Carson 4th Infantry Division squad leader, is on the brink of deploying to the Middle East, just as his wife, who is not a legal U.S. citizen, has been targeted for possible deportation.

If she is sent away, he would be unable to deploy because there would be no one left to care for their two daughters, both U.S. citizens. That would leave his squad, who trust, follow and depend on his leadership, to adjust to new leadership under already stressful overseas assignment conditions.

“I struggle that I may not be there for them because of this,” Garza said.

He said Fort Carson is allowing him to hold off deploy

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