Sailor Says ICE Detained His Father While He Serves Aboard USS Abraham Lincoln
A U.S. Navy sailor serving aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln says his father was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Florida—turning an already grueling deployment into a deeply personal crisis.
Joshua Aviles said Saturday that he learned his father, Luis Manuel Aviles, had been taken into immigration custody while Joshua was deployed at sea in the Middle East.
“I’ve 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,” Joshua wrote on Facebook.
Then came the call that changed everything: his father had been detained.
According to family members, Luis Manuel Aviles, originally from Nicaragua, was detained shortly after 11 a.m. ET in Key West, Florida. His stepdaughter, Katty Delgado, told NBC News that he has lived in the United States for roughly 20 years and that she was unaware of any criminal history or allegations against him.
“He’s doing everything the right way,” Delgado said.
DHS Confirms Detention
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that Border Patrol arrested Luis Aviles during a traffic stop in Key West. DHS said he entered the United States illegally at an unknown date and location and remains in ICE custody while removal proceedings continue.
The agency also pushed back against the family’s claims that Aviles had immigration protections.
“Work authorization or a pending application do NOT confer legal status in the United States,” a DHS spokesperson said.
Joshua said his father had a driver’s license, Social Security card and work permit and was waiting for his green-card application to be approved when he was detained.
‘This Is Heartbreaking for Me’
For Joshua, the detention comes after months of separation from his family.
The USS Abraham Lincoln has spent more than nine months deployed, including an extended deployment to the Middle East. The carrier recently left the region and is now heading back toward the U.S.
Joshua said he is working 12-hour-plus days while dealing with the uncertainty surrounding his father’s detention.
“This is heartbreaking for me,” he wrote. “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.”
He added that his father’s goal was simply to build a better life for his children.
“My dad’s only ‘crime’ was coming to this country to give my siblings and me a better life,” Joshua wrote.
Military Families Caught in Immigration Crackdown
The case comes amid growing controversy over immigration enforcement involving military families.
Democratic lawmakers have raised concerns about immigration arrests involving service members, veterans and their relatives, arguing that aggressive enforcement could create fear among military families and discourage them from seeking government services or remaining in the military.
An Associated Press investigation has also reported that more than 50 parents and spouses of service members have been detained during President Donald Trump’s second term.
DHS has emphasized that having a relative in the military does not automatically provide legal immigration status or immunity from enforcement.
“Military service by an immediate relative does not automatically grant parole, lawful status, or immunity from immigration enforcement,” the agency said.
‘Please Stay Strong, Dad’
With limited internet access aboard the carrier, Joshua said he is doing everything possible to help secure his father’s release.
His final message to his father was emotional and direct:
“I love you with all my heart. Please stay strong. I’m coming home, Dad.”
For a sailor thousands of miles from home after months at sea, the mission now has a deeply personal dimension: making it back to his family while his father remains in immigration custody.