U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) released Luis Manuel Aviles Roa, the father of a U.S. Navy sailor serving on the USS Abraham Lincoln, on Tuesday. His family confirmed the release to CBS News following a brief period of detention that began over the weekend.
Aviles Roa, a native of Nicaragua, was arrested by federal immigration officials on Saturday. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), he had entered the United States illegally. The specific conditions under which he was released on Tuesday were not immediately disclosed.
The case drew national attention after his son, Joshua Aviles, a sailor on the USS Abraham Lincoln, published a Facebook post stating he had learned of the arrest during his ninth month of service at sea. The aircraft carrier has recently been noted for record-breaking uninterrupted time at sea and reports regarding sailor morale and ship conditions. Aviles wrote that his father’s purpose in coming to the country was to provide a better life for his children and expressed difficulty focusing on his duties while his father was in custody.
The scale of these enforcement actions is tied to current executive branch policies regarding mass deportation and the removal of previous limits that once restricted ICE from arresting the spouses and parents of military personnel. A single deportation can mean the permanent relocation of a family member to another country, as seen in the case of Villafranca-Trejo, who DHS stated had received due process before her removal. These actions establish a precedent where active-duty service does not automatically shield immediate family members from federal immigration enforcement based on their legal status.
What happens next depends on the specific legal requirements tied to Aviles Roa's release, which have not yet been reported. While he has been released from custody, his immigration case remains subject to federal proceedings. Further details regarding his legal standing or future court dates were not available at the time of reporting. DHS has been contacted for comment regarding the specifics of this release and the status of related enforcement policies.