Navy sailor on USS Lincoln says dad was arrested by immigration officials
Historically rare, immigration arrests of military spouses and parents have become more common under the second Trump administration.
Updated on: August 23, 2026 / 10:24 PM EDT / CBS News
U.S. Navy sailor Joshua Aviles said he learned his father was arrested by federal immigration officials while on his ninth month aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft carrier that has been at the center of reports of mental health challenges and subpar conditions faced by service members.
"I just got a call that my dad was taken by ICE. If you know my dad, you know he is a hardworking, humble man who is always willing to help anyone if he can," Aviles wrote in a Facebook post this weekend.
"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," he added.
Asked by CBS News about the arrest, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed Luis Manuel Aviles Roa, a native of Nicaragua, was arrested by Border Patrol during a traffic stop in Key West, Florida, on Saturday, saying he entered the U.S. illegally. The department said Aviles remained in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, facing deportation proceedings.
DHS did not dispute the family's statements that Aviles lacks a criminal record, but said that "(h)aving a family member in the military is not a free pass to violate our nation's laws."