US Sailor’s Father Detained by Immigration Authorities

By Staff, Agencies

The father of a US sailor serving aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln has been taken into immigration detention while his son remains deployed in West Asia, highlighting the reach of the Trump administration's expanding immigration crackdown.

Luis Manuel Aviles Roa, originally from Nicaragua, was arrested by Border Patrol following a vehicle stop in Key West, Florida, according to a US Department of Homeland Security spokesperson.

His son, Joshua Aviles, said he learned of his father's detention on August 22 while deployed aboard the aircraft carrier.

Aviles said his father had a driver's license, Social Security card and work permit, and that the family had completed the immigration process to obtain his green card and was awaiting approval.

"This is heartbreaking for me," Aviles wrote, saying he was struggling to continue working long hours while worrying about his father's treatment in detention. He described his father's only "crime" as coming to the United States to provide a better life for his children.

DHS said Aviles Roa had entered the United States illegally and would remain in Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention pending removal proceedings.

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

The detention comes as the Trump administration has intensified immigration arrests and deportations across the United States, making mass removal a central part of its domestic agenda.

Rights groups have raised concerns over due process, racial profiling and the treatment of immigrants caught up in increasingly aggressive enforcement operations.

The case has drawn particular attention because Aviles is serving thousands of miles away aboard a US aircraft carrier while his father faces immigration proceedings at home.