Navy sailor’s immigrant father is released and returns home to Key West

A Florida Keys man taken into custody by federal immigration authorities while awaiting his Navy sailor son’s return from a deployment in the Middle East has been released, relatives said Tuesday.

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Luis Manuel Aviles, 48, was freed following days of uncertainty after U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested him in Key West, according to a statement posted to Facebook by his family.

“Luis has been released back to our family. We are grateful for all of the support for both Luis and Josh throughout this situation,” the Aviles family said in the post. “At this moment, our family is taking time to be together. While we await the return of our proud Navy sailor, we kindly ask for your understanding and respect. We will not be taking interviews at this time.”

The Associated Press reported that an immigration judge dismissed Luis Manuel Aviles’ case on Monday, just hours after he was booked into an immigration detention center in Miami.

Aviles, a handyman who is from Nicaragua and has lived in the U.S. for 19 years, was apprehended on Saturday after leaving his home to drop off his car at a mechanic. His wife, Argelia Aviles, said her husband held a permit to work in the U.S. and dedicated himself to supporting his family.

It’s unclear why federal immigration authorities detained him or why they released him. At the time of his arrest, federal authorities said he had illegally entered the U.S.

In an earlier statement, Department of Homeland Security officials defended the detention, saying that “having a family member in the military is not a free pass to violate our nation’s laws.”

DHS officials did not release any public statements following Aviles’ release.

An immigrant-rights group told WLRN that 28 migrants were arrested in Key West last weekend.

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Aviles’ arrest drew widespread media attention due to the circumstances surrounding his son, Joshua Aviles, a U.S. Navy sailor stationed aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. The aircraft carrier has been deployed in the Middle East for over nine months, marking a record-setting stretch at sea that has raised concerns over supply shortages, extended 12-hour shifts, and severe physical and mental strain on service members.

Joshua Aviles had previously voiced heartbreak over his father’s detention on social media, writing that he received the news of his father while working long shifts thousands of miles away during the war with Iran. He expressed disbelief over struggling to defend his country while his father was treated “like a criminal.”

The arrest came amid broader rollbacks of immigration protections for military families under the Trump administration’s mass-deportation efforts, which have targeted dozens of relatives of active-duty personnel nationwide. Under long-standing military “parole-in-place” policies, certain family members of active-duty service members can apply for legal status, though eligibility varies.

Family members said Joshua Aviles had joined the military, in part, hoping it would help secure his father’s legal status so he would no longer live in fear of deportation.

With Luis Aviles released, the family says it is focused on reuniting and preparing for Joshua’s expected return home as the USS Lincoln’s extended deployment nears its end.

This report was produced by Miami Herald news partner WLRN Public Media and supplemented with information from The Associated Press.

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