Immigration authorities arrested the father of a Navy sailor currently serving aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln during a traffic stop in Key West, Florida, creating a family crisis while the serviceman remains deployed in the Middle East after nine months at sea.
Father Arrested During Traffic Stop
Luis Manuel Aviles, a Nicaraguan immigrant who has lived in the United States for approximately 20 years, was detained by Border Patrol agents on Saturday morning near a Publix supermarket. According to his stepdaughter Katty Delgado, Aviles was heading to a mechanic when authorities pulled him over. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the arrest on Sunday, stating Aviles entered the country illegally at an unknown date and location. He now remains in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody pending removal proceedings.
Aviles’ family maintains he possesses a work permit, Social Security card, and driver’s license. His son Joshua Aviles, the sailor aboard the aircraft carrier, expressed devastation on Facebook about learning of his father’s detention while deployed. The younger Aviles described his father as hardworking, giving, and humble. DHS responded to inquiries by clarifying that work authorization or pending applications do not establish legal status in the United States.
Deployed Sailor Faces Mental Strain
Joshua Aviles has been stationed on the USS Abraham Lincoln for over nine months, participating in operations in the Middle East during the conflict with Iran. The aircraft carrier departed San Diego on November 25 and set a Navy record for longest deployment without a port call, going more than eight months without stopping at any port since December. Family members of sailors aboard the Lincoln have reported deteriorating conditions and declining morale, though Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dismissed these accounts as completely misrepresented.
The sailor posted on Facebook that he works 12-hour days and struggles mentally knowing his father faces treatment as a criminal. With limited internet access, Joshua wrote that he is doing everything possible to secure his father’s release. The Navy announced Saturday that the Lincoln officially departed the Middle East for the West Coast, a journey expected to take more than a month.
Broader Immigration Enforcement Pattern
The Trump administration has defended expanded immigration enforcement that has resulted in arrests of military family members. According to an Associated Press investigation, immigration authorities have detained more than 50 parents and spouses of service members during President Trump’s second term. Recent arrests have included children and spouses of military personnel, a professional baseball coordinator, and a green card-holding schoolteacher from India. The detentions continue despite programs that can offer immediate family members of military personnel protection from deportation, though these discretionary options are granted on a case-by-case basis. It remains unclear whether Aviles applied for such protection. DHS maintains the administration simply enforces laws passed by Congress without selective application.