Father of sailor aboard US aircraft carrier freed from immigration detention

Luis Manuel Aviles Roa, a Nicaraguan immigrant and father of a U.S. Navy sailor, was released from immigration detention, his family announced Tuesday. He had been arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents in Key West, Florida, despite possessing a driver's license, Social Security card, and work permit, while awaiting a green card. His son, Joshua Aviles, serving aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East, publicly expressed his distress, stating, "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 Department of Homeland Security initially stated Aviles Roa, who entered the U.S. illegally, would remain in detention, asserting, "Having a family member in the military is not a free pass to violate our nation's laws." No explanation was provided for his release.