An active-duty U.S. Navy sailor serving on a record-breaking deployment in the Middle East has learned that his father was arrested by federal immigration authorities in Florida. The detention occurred as the Trump administration actively rolls back long-standing immigration protections for the families of military service members.
Luis Manuel Aviles, a 48-year-old handyman from Nicaragua who has lived in the United States for 19 years, was arrested on Saturday in Key West, Florida. According to his wife, 47-year-old Argelia Aviles, her husband holds a permit to work in the country and was detained after leaving their home to take his vehicle to a mechanic. "He dedicates himself only to work so he can put food on the table at home," Argelia Aviles said of her husband. "He is a good father. He loves his children with all his soul."
The arrest of Aviles comes amid a broader, systematic effort by the Trump administration to execute its mass deportation agenda by targeting the relatives of active-duty U.S. troops. Although the federal government does not officially track such detentions, independent tracking has revealed that at least dozens of parents and spouses of active-duty military personnel have been detained. Among those cases, at least six family members have been deported, while another chose self-deportation. In another instance, the wife of a U.S. soldier was removed from a deportation flight bound for Brazil after spending more than a month in federal custody, a move that followed intense media scrutiny.
Historically, military families have relied on a benefit known as "military parole-in-place." This program allows spouses, children, and parents of active-duty service members and veterans to secure legal immigration status from within the United States without having to leave the country. However, the program does not cover everyone; individuals who overstayed visas or who previously applied for legal status at the border are ineligible.
On Sunday, the Department of Homeland Security issued a statement confirming that Border Patrol agents arrested Luis Aviles on Saturday in Key West. The agency stated that he will remain in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) while the government pursues his deportation. "Having a family member in the military is not a free pass to violate our nation’s laws," the department said, adding that the administration "does not pick and choose which laws to enforce."
Meanwhile, Aviles' son, Joshua Aviles, remains deployed aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. The aircraft carrier has set a U.S. military record for uninterrupted time at sea, a grueling deployment that has sparked widespread concerns over food shortages, deteriorating mental health among the crew, and severe strain on the vessel and its equipment. The Pentagon referred questions regarding the ship to the Navy, which did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has previously defended the deployment, claiming that conditions aboard the Lincoln have been "completely misrepresented."
In a Facebook post published on Saturday, Joshua Aviles shared that he has been working 12-hour shifts for more than 250 consecutive days without a break. He was still on duty in the Middle East when he received the call informing him of his father's arrest. "This is heartbreaking for me," Joshua wrote. "I don’t know how I can mentally continue working 12+ hour days knowing that my dad is somewhere, possibly treated like a criminal." He added that he was still "fighting for a country that has given me everything."
The family's connection to the military was deeply tied to their hopes for a secure future. Katherine Delgado, 28, who is Joshua's sister and Luis's stepdaughter, explained that Joshua joined the military in part because he believed it would help his father obtain U.S. citizenship, allowing him to "no longer be living in fear of being arrested."
Delgado described her brother as her "best friend" and "ride-or-die," noting that his prolonged deployment has been devastating for the family. She recounted spending weeks with no knowledge of his whereabouts. After finally establishing contact and learning that he was facing food shortages, she spent hundreds of dollars sending care packages filled with food and hygiene products, though some of the packages never reached the ship.
Before his arrest, Luis Aviles had been deeply anxious about his son's extended deployment. A photo from October 2025 shows Luis and Joshua standing together outside their home shortly before Joshua deployed in November. As the deployment stretched beyond the six-month mark into its ninth month, Luis became increasingly distraught, according to his wife. Yet, he remained hopeful. "He was excited," Argelia Aviles recalled. "He wanted to hug his son, as he hadn’t seen him for nine months."
With news that the USS Abraham Lincoln is scheduled to be pulled out of service in the Middle East soon, Joshua is expected to return home in the near future. However, Delgado pointed out the painful reality awaiting her brother: "And he’s gonna come home without his father."
