‘Heartbreaking for me’: Navy sailor learns father detained by ICE while aboard USS Lincoln

KEY WEST, FLORIDA: Luis Manuel Aviles left his home in Key West on Saturday, August 22, to take his car to a mechanic. Instead, the 48-year-old handyman was arrested by Border Patrol agents and taken into immigration custody, according to his wife, Argelia Aviles.

At the time of his arrest, his son Joshua Aviles was entering his ninth month aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, where he has been working 12-hour shifts as the aircraft carrier remains deployed in the Middle East.

The arrest has left the family facing the prospect of Joshua returning from a lengthy military deployment without his father at home.

Luis Aviles arrested as son remains deployed

Argelia Aviles said her husband, originally from Nicaragua, has lived in the United States for 19 years and has a permit to work in the country. She described him as a devoted father who works to support his family.

The Department of Homeland Security said Border Patrol agents arrested Luis Aviles on Saturday in Key West and that he would remain in ICE custody while the government seeks to deport him.

“Having a family member in the military is not a free pass to violate our nation’s laws,” the department said Sunday, adding that the Trump administration “does not pick and choose which laws to enforce.”

Joshua Aviles said in a Facebook post that he was still aboard the USS Lincoln, “fighting for a country that has given me everything,” when he learned his father had been detained.

“This is heartbreaking for me,” he wrote, saying he did not know how he could mentally continue working 12-hour days while worrying about his father.

Joshua Aviles’ military service tied to father’s hopes

Joshua’s sister, Katherine Delgado, said her brother joined the military in part because he believed his service could help improve his father’s chances of eventually obtaining citizenship.

She said he had hoped his military career would mean their father would “no longer be living in fear of being arrested.”

Delgado said the situation has been particularly difficult because Joshua has already spent months away from his family aboard the carrier. She also said she has spent hundreds of dollars sending him care packages with food and hygiene products after he told her he was not getting enough food.

Joshua is expected to return home soon as the USS Lincoln is brought out of service in the Middle East, according to his sister. “And he’s gonna come home without his father,” Delgado said.

Aviles’ arrest comes as the Trump administration has rolled back immigration protections for military families while expanding its mass deportation efforts.

Joshua Aviles’ long deployment adds to family strain

The USS Abraham Lincoln has been deployed for months, with Joshua saying he has worked 12-hour shifts for more than 250 days without a break.

The carrier’s prolonged deployment has also drawn concerns over food shortages, equipment strain and the mental health of sailors who have spent extended periods at sea.

Joshua’s mother said her husband had been looking forward to his son’s return after such a long deployment. “He wanted to hug his son, as he hadn’t seen him for nine months,” she said.