A sailor deployed aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln said his father was detained by immigration authorities in Florida over the weekend, while the sailor was at sea in the Middle East nine months into his deployment.
Luis Manuel Aviles Roa, 48, was detained Saturday shortly after 11 a.m. in Key West, Fla., where he lives. His wife, Argelia Aviles, told the Associated Press that he was arrested after leaving home to take his car to a mechanic.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed the arrest, telling Military.com on Monday that the suspect “entered the country illegally on an unknown date and location” and will remain in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement proceedings, or ICE, custody pending removal proceedings.
The circumstances of Aviles’ immigration status are disputed. His family said he is originally from Nicaragua and has lived in the United States for about 19 years. He works as a repair man and holds a work permit, a Social Security card, and a driver’s license.
He was reportedly waiting for a green card to be approved.
Word Reached Son at Sea
Joshua Aviles, the man’s son, said he learned of the detention while deployed aboard the Lincoln. He described his sentiments in a Facebook post.
“I’ve been deployed for over nine months, out at sea in the Middle East aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, fighting for a country that has given me everything,” he wrote. “I just got a call that my dad was taken by ICE.”
He described his father as a hardworking and humble man, saying he was doing everything he could to secure his release.
“I love you with all my heart. Please stay strong. I’m coming home, Dad,” he wrote.
Joshua Aviles told NBC News he has limited internet access at sea and described the strain of working while worrying about his father.
A stepsister, Katty Delgado, told the network that she knew of no arrest history or criminal allegations against Aviles.
DHS ‘Simply Enforcing Laws’
DHS defended the arrest as a matter of law.
“Having a family member in the military is not a free pass to violate our nation’s laws,” a DHS spokesperson told Military.com. “Military service by an immediate relative does not automatically grant parole, lawful status, or immunity from immigration enforcement.
“We are simply enforcing the laws passed by Congress. This administration does not pick and choose which laws to enforce.”
The detention comes amid a broad expansion of immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump, which has included the arrests of relatives of other service members. Trump has backed the enforcement effort and his administration’s approach.
Joshua Aviles’ deployment aboard the Lincoln was extended by the war against Iran. Relatives of sailors aboard the carrier have described reports of shortages of clean water, food and supplies, along with low morale, during the prolonged deployment.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said claims about conditions aboard the ship have been “completely misrepresented.”
The Navy said Saturday that the Lincoln had left the Middle East and was headed for the West Coast, which could take a month or more.
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