Luis Manuel Aviles, 48, was arrested by immigration authorities in Key West, Florida, while his son was serving on the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been deployed for an extended period. Aviles, originally from Nicaragua and a U.S. resident for 19 years, was arrested after leaving his home to take his car to the mechanic. His wife, Argelia Aviles, stated that he has a work permit and is a dedicated father.
The arrest occurred amid the Trump administration's policy changes affecting immigration protections for military families, which have reportedly led to the detention of numerous parents and spouses of active-duty service members. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that Aviles will remain in ICE custody while the government seeks to deport him.
His son, Joshua Aviles, has been deployed for over 250 days on the USS Lincoln, working long hours. He expressed his distress over his father's detention in a Facebook post, highlighting the emotional toll of the situation. His sister, Katherine Delgado, noted that Joshua joined the military partly to help improve their father's immigration status. She described the separation as devastating and mentioned the challenges faced by Joshua during his deployment, including food shortages.
The Pentagon has referred inquiries to the Navy, which has not yet provided a comment. The situation has raised concerns about the impact of prolonged deployments on service members and their families.