What Happened When a Navy Sailor's Dad Was Arrested by ICE While He Was at Sea

Luis Manuel Aviles Roa, a man from Nicaragua and the father of a U.S. Navy sailor, was arrested by Border Patrol agents during a traffic stop in Key West, Florida, on a Saturday in August 2026. At the time, he was waiting for his son, Joshua Aviles, to come home from a deployment in the Middle East CNN.

Joshua Aviles is a sailor on the USS Abraham Lincoln, a massive aircraft carrier that had been operating in the Middle East during the Iran war. He had been away from home for over nine months. According to his account, his father was taken by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, the government agency that detains and deports people who are in the country without legal permission The Guardian.

The USS Abraham Lincoln left the Middle East on Saturday, August 23, after another carrier, the USS George Washington, arrived to take its place. The Lincoln had not stopped at any port for rest or supplies in more than 200 days, setting a modern record for the most days at sea in a row. That means Joshua Aviles was going through one of the toughest deployments in modern Navy history at the same time he learned his father had been arrested and could be deported.

The Department of Homeland Security, the government agency that oversees ICE and Border Patrol, confirmed that Aviles Roa had entered the United States without legal permission and would stay in ICE detention while his deportation case moves forward. In a statement, DHS said: "Having a family member in the military is not a free pass to violate our nation's laws" The Guardian.

The broader context here matters. This arrest fits a pattern of strict immigration enforcement under the current administration. The fact that DHS specifically mentioned the military connection in its statement suggests the agency expected people to question whether it was fair to arrest the father of a deployed sailor. By saying military service is not a "free pass," the agency was making the point that it applies immigration laws the same way regardless of family ties to the military.

This case also touches on a bigger question: should having a family member in the military offer some protection from deportation? At different times in recent history, the U.S. government has given certain immigration breaks to military families. For example, a policy called "parole in place" has allowed some family members of military personnel to stay in the country legally without having to leave and apply from abroad. There have also been faster paths to citizenship for non-citizen service members. These policies have led some military families to believe that their connection to the military might protect them from deportation. Based on its statement, DHS does not appear to consider a child's military service a good enough reason to hold off on enforcement, at least in this case.

There is also the question of how this affected Joshua Aviles's ability to do his job and cope with the situation. The Navy, like other branches of the military, has rules for giving service members emergency leave when a family member is in crisis. It is not clear from the available reporting whether Joshua Aviles was offered any such leave, or whether the Lincoln's record-breaking time at sea made it harder for the Navy to respond. The Lincoln has now left the Middle East, which could eventually allow Joshua Aviles to return to U.S. soil. But when he gets home and whether he can see his father depends on both the ship's travel schedule and how far along his father's deportation case has gotten.

The arrival of the USS George Washington to take over for the Lincoln ends a deployment that has gotten attention not just for how long it lasted but for how demanding it was on the crew. More than 200 days at sea without a single port stop is extraordinary by any modern measure. The conditions aboard the Lincoln during that time, along with the personal struggles carried by sailors like Joshua Aviles, describe a situation of constant pressure on naval forces stationed far from home.

Aviles Roa's deportation case will go through the immigration court system, a process that can take months or even longer. He will remain in detention while that process plays out.