ICE Arrests Father of US Sailor Deployed in Middle East

Luis Manuel Aviles, a 48 year old Nicaraguan national, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Key West, Florida. Aviles has lived in the United States for 19 years and was detained while leaving his home to take his car to a mechanic. His son, Joshua Aviles, is a member of the US Navy currently serving aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East, where he has been deployed for nine months. Joshua Aviles expressed his distress on Facebook, stating that he has worked 12 hour shifts for over 250 days without a break while fighting for a country that gave him everything. The family claims that Aviles had a work permit, a Social Security card, and a driver's license, and that they had completed the necessary paperwork for his permanent residency. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the arrest and stated that Aviles entered the country illegally. The department asserted that having a family member in the military is not a free pass to violate national laws and that the Trump administration does not choose which laws to apply. This arrest occurs as the Trump government pursues a mass deportation agenda, which has resulted in the detention of dozens of parents and spouses of active duty military members. While the military promotes a program allowing family members of service members to obtain legal status, not all applicants qualify. Katherine Delgado, the sister of Joshua Aviles, stated that Joshua joined the military partly to help his father obtain citizenship and live without fear of arrest.