The father of a sailor onboard the troubled USS Abraham Lincoln has been released from ICE custody after his arrest sparked intense backlash.
Luis Manuel Aviles, 48, was arrested Saturday as he left his home to bring his car to a mechanic, according to his wife, Argelia Aviles. She said that her husband, a handyman based in Key West, Florida, holds a valid permit to work in the United States. Originally from Nicaragua, he has lived in the country for 19 years.
His son, a U.S. Navy sailor, was in his ninth month aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln when his father was taken into custody. The Lincoln recently set a U.S. military record for the longest uninterrupted period at sea amid concerns about supply shortages and declining mental health among military members onboard.
Aviles’ detention is the latest in a series of prominent immigration arrests involving immediate relatives of active U.S. service members under President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown. Lawmakers recently initiated a congressional inquiry examining these enforcement practices by the Department of Homeland Security.
His son, Joshua Aviles, said on Facebook Tuesday that his father had been freed from federal custody. According to records from the Department of Justice, an immigration judge dismissed the case against Luis Manuel Aviles on Monday, only hours after he was processed at an immigration detention facility in Miami.
DHS provided no immediate explanation on Monday or Tuesday detailing why Luis Manuel Aviles was detained and subsequently released.
Margaret Stock, an immigration lawyer representing military families, described the swift sequence of charges being brought and then dismissed as “super unusual.”
In a Facebook post on Saturday, Joshua Aviles said that he has worked 12-hour shifts without a rest day since the USS Lincoln departed U.S. territory in November. The U.S. Navy confirmed his enlistment aboard the vessel, noting that his physically labor-intensive responsibilities include maneuvering aircraft across the ship.
The aircraft carrier is currently being relieved by a replacement ship, allowing it to complete its voyage back to the U.S.