Luis Manuel Aviles Roa, father of Joshua Aviles, a US Navy sailor serving aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, was detained by US immigration authorities following a vehicle stop in Key West, Florida, on August 22 or 23 [1, 2, 3, 4]. Originally from Nicaragua, Aviles Roa has lived in the United States for about 20 years [1, 4].
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Aviles Roa entered the US illegally and will remain in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody pending removal proceedings [1, 2, 3, 4]. A DHS spokesperson emphasized, "Having a family member in the military is not a free pass to violate our nation's laws" and added, "We are simply enforcing the laws passed by Congress" [3, 4].
Joshua Aviles, deployed for over nine months aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East, expressed heartbreak over his father’s detention. He said his father held a driver’s license, Social Security card, and work permit and was awaiting green card approval. "I just got a call that my dad was taken by ICE. 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 being treated like a criminal," he posted on Facebook [1, 2, 3, 4].
Aviles’s stepdaughter, Katty Delgado, told reporters that he has no known criminal history and is "doing everything the right way" [4].
The USS Abraham Lincoln recently ended a deployment of over 200 consecutive days at sea without a port call, setting a modern US Navy record after being deployed in the Middle East for more than nine months [1, 2, 3, 4]. Democratic lawmakers had raised concerns about worsening conditions and morale among the crew during the extended mission [1, 2, 3, 4]. The USS George Washington arrived in the Middle East last week to relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln [2].
Reports detailing Aviles Roa’s detention and the carrier’s deployment emerged on August 24, as the USS Abraham Lincoln returned from its lengthy mission [2, 4].
