U.S. Navy Sailor’s Father Detained by Immigration Officials

By Camilo Montoya-Galvez, Immigration Correspondent

Joshua Aviles, a U.S. Navy sailor, recently learned that his father had been arrested by federal immigration officials. Aviles received the news while serving his ninth month aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft carrier linked to reports of mental health challenges and difficult conditions for service members.

“I just got a call that my dad was taken by ICE. If you know my dad, you know he is a hardworking, humble man who is always willing to help anyone if he can,” Aviles wrote in a Facebook post over the weekend.

He expressed distress about continuing his demanding duties, saying, “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.”

Inquiries to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) revealed that Luis Manuel Aviles Roa, a Nicaraguan national, was taken into custody by Border Patrol in Key West, Florida. The DHS stated he entered the United States illegally and is currently in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, facing deportation proceedings.

The DHS acknowledged the family’s assertion that Aviles has no criminal history, but emphasized, “Having a family member in the military is not a free pass to violate our nation’s laws.” The department reiterated, “We are simply enforcing the laws passed by Congress.”

This arrest is part of a growing trend of immigration enforcement affecting U.S military families. This trend has become more frequent under the second Trump administration due to the rescindment of previous restrictions on ICE and Border Patrol arrests as part of broader deportation efforts.

DHS officials maintain that anyone in the country illegally is subject to arrest and deportation processing, regardless of military family connections.

Aviles highlighted the USS Lincoln’s prolonged mission in the Middle East in his Facebook message: “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 shared.

The aircraft carrier, carrying around 5,000 crew members, recently departed the Middle East for a return trip to the United States, expected to last several weeks.