US sailor's father detained by ICE while son serves on USS Abraham Lincoln
A Nicaraguan immigrant, Luis Manuel Aviles Roa, was taken into immigration detention in Florida, prompting his son, Sailor Joshua Aviles, to speak out while deployed aboard the aircraft carrier in the Middle East.
Luis Manuel Aviles Roa, a Nicaraguan national, was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol during a vehicle stop in Key West, Florida, and placed in immigration detention, according to a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson. The detention comes as his son, Joshua Aviles, serves a nine-month deployment aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East.
Aviles posted on social media that he had been deployed for over nine months and received news of his father's arrest, noting that his father possessed a driver’s license, social security card and work permit and was awaiting green-card approval.
The DHS stated that Aviles Roa entered the United States without authorization and will remain in custody pending removal proceedings, adding, "Having a family member in the military is not a free pass to violate our nation’s laws."
Immigration-rights groups have criticized recent enforcement actions, arguing they infringe on due-process rights and disproportionately affect ethnic minorities. The USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been at sea for more than 200 consecutive days, recently concluded its Middle East deployment without making a port call, a duration highlighted by Democratic lawmakers concerned about crew conditions.