Navy sailor on USS Lincoln says dad was arrested by immigration officials

A U.S. Navy sailor serving a nine-month deployment aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln learned his father had been arrested by federal immigration officials, a situation he described as "heartbreaking." Joshua Aviles shared on Facebook that his father, Luis Manuel Aviles Roa, a native of Nicaragua, was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after being arrested by Border Patrol during a traffic stop in Key West, Florida. Aviles expressed distress, stating he did not know how he could mentally continue working over 12-hour days knowing his father was possibly being treated like a criminal.

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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.

The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the arrest, noting that Aviles Roa entered the U.S. illegally and is now facing deportation proceedings. While DHS acknowledged the family's claim that Aviles Roa lacks a criminal record, the department issued a statement emphasizing that "having a family member in the military is not a free pass to violate our nation's laws." Officials stated they are enforcing laws passed by Congress and do not "pick and choose which laws to enforce."

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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.

This incident is the latest in a series of immigration enforcement actions affecting U.S. military families. Such arrests, historically rare, have become more common under the current administration as part of its broader deportation efforts. DHS officials have maintained that anyone in the country illegally is subject to arrest and deportation, regardless of their family's military service. Aviles noted his own extended deployment in the Middle East, fighting for a country he felt had given him "everything," while his father faced deportation proceedings back home.

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Having a family member in the military is not a free pass to violate our nation's laws.