At least dozens of troops’ relatives have been detained
Luis Manuel Aviles, 48, a handyman in Key West, Florida, was arrested by immigration authorities after leaving his house to take his car to the mechanic, according to his wife Argelia Aviles, 47. She said her husband 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,” Argelia said.
At the time of the arrest, their son was entering his ninth month on the USS Abraham Lincoln with the Navy, according to the AP. The carrier set a U.S. military record for uninterrupted time at sea, stirring concerns about supply shortages and deteriorating mental health among soldiers, the AP reported.
The arrest is among at least dozens of cases in which parents and spouses of active-duty U.S. troops have been detained, the AP reported. The AP also reported that the Trump administration has rolled back immigration protections for military families — a shift the AP linked to what it described as the administration’s “mass-deportation agenda.”