Navy sailor on USS Abraham Lincoln learns father was detained in immigration crackdown
A U.S. Navy sailor serving aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln learned his father was arrested by immigration authorities in Key West, Florida, as the Trump administration rolls back protections for military families.
A U.S. Navy sailor serving aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln learned that his father was arrested by immigration authorities in Key West, Florida, as the Trump administration continues its mass deportation campaign. Luis Manuel Aviles, 48, a handyman originally from Nicaragua who has lived in the United States for 19 years, was taken into custody Saturday after leaving his home to take his car to a mechanic, according to his wife, Argelia Aviles.
Argelia Aviles, 47, said her husband holds a work permit and has dedicated himself to providing for the family. «He dedicates himself only to work so he can put food on the table at home. He is a good father. He loves his children with all his soul,» she said. The arrest comes as the administration rolls back immigration protections for military families, with at least dozens of parents and spouses of active-duty U.S. troops detained. The Associated Press found that at least six family members have been deported and one self-deported in the first accounting of such detentions, which the government does not track.
The sailor, Joshua Aviles, is in his ninth month aboard the USS Lincoln, which is deployed in the Middle East and has set a U.S. military record for uninterrupted time at sea. The extended deployment has raised concerns about supply shortages, deteriorating mental health among crew members, and increasing strain on the ship and its equipment. Joshua Aviles wrote on Facebook that he was still on the ship «fighting for a country that has given me everything» when he received the call about his father's detention Saturday morning.
«This is heartbreaking for me. I don't know how I can mentally continue working 12+ hour days knowing that my dad is somewhere, possibly treated like a criminal,» Joshua Aviles wrote. He has been working 12-hour shifts for more than 250 days without a break. The Department of Homeland Security said Border Patrol agents arrested Luis Aviles on Saturday in Key West and that he will remain in ICE custody while the government seeks to deport him. «Having a family member in the military is not a free pass to violate our nation's laws,» the department said Sunday, adding that the administration «does not pick and choose which laws to enforce.»
One of the military's most advertised immigration benefits is «military parole-in-place,» which allows spouses, children, and parents of active-duty service members and veterans to obtain legal immigration status from within the country. Not everyone qualifies, including those who overstayed visas or already applied for legal status at the border. Katherine Delgado, 28, Joshua Aviles' sister, said her brother joined the military in part because he thought it would improve their father's chances of getting citizenship and so he would «no longer be living in fear of being arrested.»
Delgado said being apart from her brother, whom she calls her «best friend» and her «ride-or-die,» has been devastating. «I spent weeks without knowing where he was,» she said. Once she heard from him and learned he wasn't getting enough food, she spent hundreds of dollars to send care packages with food and hygiene products, some of which never arrived. Joshua is «supposed to come home soon,» Delgado said, referring to news that the ship will soon be brought out of service in the Middle East. «And he's gonna come home without his father.»
The lengthy deployment has been challenging for Luis Aviles, according to his wife. He told her he was looking forward to the deployment finally coming to an end. When six months passed and his son didn't return, Aviles was distraught. «He was excited,» she said. «He wanted to hug his son, as he hadn't seen him for nine months.» The Pentagon referred all questions to the Navy, which didn't immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth previously called conditions aboard the Lincoln «completely misrepresented.»
