Father of Deployed US Sailor Detained in Florida Immigration Stop
US immigration authorities detained the Nicaraguan father of a sailor serving aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, saying he will remain in custody pending removal proceedings as the family awaits a green-card decision.
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- US immigration authorities detained the Nicaraguan father of a sailor serving aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, saying he will remain in custody pending removal proceedings as the family awaits a green-card decision.
U.S. immigration authorities have detained the father of a sailor serving aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln after a vehicle stop in Key West, Florida, according to the sailor and the Department of Homeland Security.
Border Patrol officers arrested Luis Manuel Aviles Roa, a Nicaraguan national, on Sunday, August 23, 2026. His son, Joshua Aviles, said he learned of the detention while deployed in the Middle East, where he has been serving aboard the aircraft carrier for more than nine months.
Joshua Aviles said his father possessed a driver’s licence, Social Security card and work permit, and that the family was waiting for a decision on his green-card application. He described the arrest as a severe strain while he continued working long shifts at sea.
The Department of Homeland Security said Luis Manuel Aviles Roa had entered the United States unlawfully and would remain in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody while removal proceedings are pending. The department said military service by a relative does not exempt someone from immigration law.
The available source report did not provide the date of Aviles Roa’s entry into the United States, details of any prior immigration rulings, or a timetable for the pending proceedings. It also did not identify a lawyer representing him. Those points remain unresolved.
The case comes amid broader criticism of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement campaign. Civil-rights organisations have raised concerns about due process and racial profiling, while the administration has defended its actions as enforcement of federal law.
The USS Abraham Lincoln left the Middle East on Saturday, August 22, after spending more than 200 consecutive days at sea without a port call, according to the report. Democratic lawmakers had sought answers about conditions and morale aboard the carrier after concerns were raised by sailors’ families. The USS George Washington arrived in the region last week and is expected to relieve the Lincoln.
The detention links two prominent areas of federal policy: immigration enforcement at home and an extended U.S. naval deployment abroad. Any decision in Aviles Roa’s immigration case will be made through the removal process cited by DHS.
