He was waiting for his son to return from the USS Lincoln. Then Border Patrol arrested him

 

Luis Manuel Aviles, left, and his son Joshua Aviles stand outside their home in October 2025, shortly before Joshua deployed on the USS Lincoln the following month in Key West, Florida.

Katherine Delgado/AP

AP —  

When Luis Manuel Aviles was arrested by immigration authorities, his son was entering his ninth month on the USS Abraham Lincoln with the Navy — a vessel that set a US military record for uninterrupted time at sea, stirring concerns about supply shortages and deteriorating mental health among soldiers.

Luis Manuel Aviles, 48, was arrested after leaving his house to take his car to the mechanic, according to his wife, Argelia Aviles. She said her husband, a handyman in Key West, Florida, has a permit to work in the United States. Originally from Nicaragua, he has lived in the U.S. for 19 years.

“He dedicates himself only to work so he can put food on the table at home. He is a good father. He loves his children with all his soul,” said Argelia, 47.

Aviles’ arrest comes as the Trump administration rolls back immigration protections for military families to pursue its mass deportation agenda, detaining at least dozens of parents and spouses of active-duty U.S. troops.