The father of a U.S. Navy sailor serving aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln was arrested by Border Patrol agents in Key West, Florida on Saturday, as his son remained at sea in the middle of a record-setting deployment.
Luis Manuel Aviles Roa, 48, was arrested by Border Patrol agents during a vehicle stop on August 22. He has lived in the U.S. for more than 20 years, holds a work permit and Social Security number, has an asylum case pending, and takes blood pressure medication, his family said.
His son, Navy sailor Joshua Aviles, said in an emotional Facebook post he learned of his father’s detention Saturday morning while still aboard the Lincoln, which left the Middle East that day without having made a port call in more than 200 days setting a modern-day record for consecutive days at sea.
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The arrest is the latest in a series of immigration enforcement actions against the families of active-duty service members since the Trump administration rolled back longstanding protections that once shielded military families from deportation. At least dozens of parents and spouses of active-duty U.S. troops have been detained or deported since ICE rescinded its former policy in April 2025.
Joshua Aviles described his family’s situation in an emotional Facebook post on Saturday.
“This is heartbreaking for me. 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. My dad’s only ‘crime’ was coming to this country to give my siblings and me a better life, Aviles wrote.
Dad, I don’t know where you are right now, but know that I am doing everything I can to bring you back home. I love you with all my heart. Please stay strong. I’m coming home, Dad,” the post continued.
For years, enlisting in the military often meant that a service member’s family received favorable consideration in immigration cases, including a better chance at obtaining a green card. Under President Joe Biden, ICE considered military service by a member and their immediate family a “significant mitigating factor” when making immigration decisions, including removal from the country. ICE rescinded that policy in April 2025 and issued a new one that offered less protection to service members and their families.
One of the military’s most highly advertised immigration benefits is “military parole-in-place,” which allows the spouses, children and parents of active-duty service members and veterans to obtain legal immigration status from within the country. Not everyone qualifies those who overstayed visas or who already applied for legal status at the border, for example, may be excluded.
Immigration attorney and retired Army Lt. Col. Margaret Stock told Scripps News the consequences reach far beyond cases involving undocumented family members.
“Across the board, we’re having an immigration crisis in the US Armed Forces and the military doesn’t have the lawyers to deal with it,” Stock said.
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Stock also said the policy change is taking a direct toll on military readiness.
“This new policy has a terrible effect on morale and readiness. It causes a lot of problems for the unit because the member can’t focus on their military duties. They’re more concerned about their family. Obviously, you would be concerned about your family, too, if you’re serving in the military and you found out the government you’re serving is deporting your family member,” Stock said.
“The message that we’re sending is that we will accept your service right and sacrifice but it doesn’t really count and doesn’t carry any weight when it comes to your own family needs, Danitza James, president of the organization Repatriate Our Patriots, which supports military families facing deportation, told Scripps News.
In a statement to Scripps News, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Border Patrol agents arrested Luis Manuel Aviles Roa, describing him as “an illegal alien from Nicaragua” who “entered the country illegally on an unknown date and location.”
“Having a family member in the military is not a free pass to violate our nation’s laws. Military service by an immediate relative does not automatically grant parole, lawful status, or immunity from immigration enforcement,” the spokesperson said.
“We are simply enforcing the laws passed by Congress. This Administration does not pick and choose which laws to enforce,” the spokesperson said, adding that the agency is encouraging those int he country illegally to self-deport.
DHS said Luis Manuel Aviles will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.