Father of Navy sailor aboard USS Lincoln released from immigration custody
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- The father of a U.S. Navy sailor deployed on the USS Abraham Lincoln was freed from federal immigration custody after a judge swiftly dismissed his case in Miami.
- His detention sparked outrage because his son is entering a record-breaking ninth month at sea in the Middle East, amid reports of grueling 12-hour shifts and mounting mental health concerns.
- The case highlights a growing backlash to immigration arrests targeting military families under President Trump, prompting a congressional investigation as Homeland Security declines to explain why Luis Manuel Aviles was held.
The father of a U.S. Navy sailor who has been deployed in the Middle East for a record-breaking nine months was released from immigration detention, according to his family.
His arrest sparked intense backlash after the Associated Press reported that his son was entering his ninth month on the USS Abraham Lincoln with the Navy when his father was detained. The Lincoln is a vessel that set a U.S. military record for uninterrupted time at sea and raised concerns about supply shortages and deteriorating mental health among sailors.
Luis Manuel Aviles, 48, was arrested on Saturday after leaving his house to take his car to a mechanic, according to his wife, Argelia Aviles. She said her husband, a handyman in Key West, Fla., has a permit to work in the United States. Originally from Nicaragua, he has lived in the U.S. for 19 years.
Aviles’ arrest was the latest in a string of high-profile immigration arrests of the immediate family members of enlisted U.S. soldiers as part of President Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown. Elected officials recently launched a congressional investigation into the Department of Homeland Security practice.
Aviles’ son, Joshua Aviles, posted on Facebook on Tuesday that his father had been released from federal immigration custody. An immigration judge dismissed Luis Manuel Aviles’ case on Monday, just hours after he was booked into an immigration detention center in Miami, according to Department of Justice records.
Homeland Security didn’t offer immediate comment on Monday or Tuesday to clarify why Luis Manuel Aviles was arrested and subsequently released.
Margaret Stock, an immigration attorney for military families, called the rapid succession of filed and dismissed charges “super unusual.”
Joshua Aviles said in a Facebook post on Saturday that he had been working 12-hour days without a break since the USS Lincoln left U.S. soil in November. The Navy confirmed that Aviles is enlisted and serves aboard the USS Lincoln, where his physically demanding duties include moving aircraft on the ship.
The vessel is being relieved by another ship so it can return to the U.S.
Riddle writes for the Associated Press. AP writers Konstantin Toropin in Washington, and Amy Taxin in Santa Ana, , contributed to this report.
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