An immigrant father of a sailor aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln has been taken into custody by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as the sailor remains on an aircraft carrier which had been deployed in the Middle East for over nine months due to regional tensions.
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Border Patrol arrested Nicaraguan national Luis Manuel Aviles Roa during a traffic stop in Key West, Florida. Authorities stated that the detained individual will remain in custody pending removal proceedings.
The sailor took to social media to share the ordeal, adding that the family had applied through proper immigration channels to secure a green card for his father and "we are just waiting." Sailor Joshua Aviles wrote, "I have 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 added, "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."
Despite the son serving as a sailor with the U.S. Navy, the Department of Homeland Security has maintained that Luis Manuel Aviles entered the United States unlawfully and must face standard removal proceedings. DHS emphasized in a statement: "Having a family member in the military is not a free pass to violate our nation's laws."