Overview
- U.S. Border Patrol arrested Luis Manuel Aviles Roa during a vehicle stop in Key West on Saturday, Aug. 22, and DHS says he will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.
- Family members say Aviles has lived in the U.S. for about 19–20 years, worked as a handyman, held a Social Security number and work permit, and was awaiting green-card approval.
- His son, Petty Officer Joshua Aviles, learned of the detention while serving on the USS Abraham Lincoln and posted that the news has caused severe emotional strain during a deployment of more than nine months.
- The Abraham Lincoln recently left the Middle East after more than 200 consecutive days at sea, a deployment that has prompted complaints from sailors and relatives about living conditions and mental health.
- Advocates and reporting note this case fits a wider pattern under the current administration in which more than 50 parents and spouses of active-duty service members have been detained, raising questions about how discretionary protections for military relatives are applied and about congressional or Department of Homeland Security oversight.