While Navy sailor Joshua Aviles, a one-time Key West High School student, was in the Middle East, serving aboard the infamous aircraft carrier USS Lincoln, his father, Luis, was in custody,
having been detained by Border Patrol agents following an Aug. 22 traffic stop in Key West, where he has lived and worked for 20 years.
Joshua Aviles announced in a now-viral Aug. 23 Facebook post from the Strait of Hormuz that his father had been “taken by ICE.”
“I’ve been deployed for over nine months, out at sea in the Middle East aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, fighting for a country that has given me everything,” the Navy sailor wrote on Facebook. “I just got a call that my dad was taken by ICE. If you know my dad, you know he is a hardworking, humble man who is always willing to help anyone if he can. My dad has his driver’s license, Social Security card and work permit. We have done everything through immigration to get his green card approved, and we are just waiting.
“This is heartbreaking for me. 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. My dad’s only ‘crime’ was coming to this country to give my siblings and me a better life.
“Dad, I don’t know where you are right now, but know that I am doing everything I can to bring you back home. I love you with all my heart. Please stay strong. I’m coming home, Dad.”
The post was covered by major national and international news outlets, including The Associated Press, New York Times, CBS, ABC, local FOX affiliates and countless political podcasts, eventually leading to Luis Aviles’s release from immigration custody and return to his family on Aug. 25.
Luis Manuel Aviles, 48, is not among “the worst of the worst” criminal immigrants that President Donald Trump has sworn to expel from the United States. Monroe County court and arrest records show one traffic violation by Luis Aviles, who has worked for 20 years as a handyman, often at Key West hotels.
Joshua Aviles confirmed his father’s release in an Aug. 25 Facebook post that states, “Luis has been released back to our family. We are grateful for all of the support for both Luis and Josh throughout this situation. 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. With much gratitude, The Aviles Family.”
Luis Aviles’s other son, Luis, told Telemundo on Aug. 23 that his father “never hid, he always did things the right way,” adding that he was working toward getting legal status and had complied with his paperwork and visits to immigration offices in Miami.
Luis Aviles’ stepdaughter told NBC News on Aug. 22 that her stepfather had a work authorization, a Social Security card, driver’s license and active asylum case.
The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to calls and emails from the Keys Weekly about Aviles’ immigration status.
A Fox News affiliate in Philadelphia reported on Aug. 23, “Asked to confirm whether Luis Manuel Aviles had a Social Security number, a work permit or pending immigration cases, as his family indicated, DHS said in an email on Sunday, ‘Having a family member in the military is not a free pass to violate our nation’s laws. Military service by an immediate relative does not automatically grant parole, lawful status, or immunity from immigration enforcement.’”
Immigration enforcement spikes in Key West
The same weekend Luis Aviles was detained, and in the week before and since, Key West has experienced a surge in immigration enforcement, with both Hispanic and Haitian immigrants being arrested.
Lucy Hawk, a co-founder of the Key West Immigrant Support Network, told the Keys Weekly that her nonprofit organization was aware of at least 46 immigrants being taken “just this month,” Hawk said, adding, “We’ve seen a bunch of new agents in town and we know they’re scanning license plates. In one case, the owner of the card actually had a green card, but the passenger didn’t, and was detained.”
See page 9 for more about immigration enforcement and detainments in Key West.
