The father of a US sailor aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, deployed in the Middle East during the Iran war, has been taken into federal immigration detention, the sailor said.
Arrest in Key West
Border patrol arrested Luis Manuel Aviles Roa, originally from Nicaragua, after conducting a vehicle stop in Key West, Florida, a spokesperson for the US homeland security department said on Sunday.
Joshua Aviles, the son, posted: “I’ve been deployed for over nine months, out at sea in the Middle East aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, fighting for a country that has given me everything.
“I just got a call that my dad was taken by ICE.”
Green card wait
His father had his driver’s licence, social security card and work permit, Aviles said. “We have done everything through immigration to get his green card approved, and we are just waiting. 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.”
The DHS said Luis Manuel Aviles Roa entered the US illegally and would remain in immigration and customs enforcement detention pending removal proceedings.
“Having a family member in the military is not a free pass to violate our nation’s laws,” the DHS said.
Rights concerns and carrier record
Rights groups say the immigration crackdown under Donald Trump has violated free speech and due process rights and created an unsafe environment, particularly for ethnic minorities, who have raised concerns about racial profiling.
The Lincoln, which left the Middle East on Saturday, did not make a port call in more than 200 days. That set a modern-day record for consecutive days at sea, according to Democratic lawmakers who called for answers after sailors’ families raised concerns about poor living conditions and morale on board.
The USS George Washington aircraft carrier arrived in the Middle East last week, where it is expected to relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln.
