Luis Manuel Aviles, the 48-year-old father of a US Navy sailor, has been released from immigration detention, his family confirmed. Mr Aviles, originally from Nicaragua, had been arrested on Saturday after leaving his home in Key West, Florida.
His son, Joshua, is currently serving aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Middle East, which has been deployed for a record-breaking nine months. The USS Lincoln's extended deployment has reportedly raised concerns regarding supply shortages and the mental health of its crew.
Joshua Aviles announced his father's release from federal immigration custody on Facebook on Tuesday. Department of Justice records indicate that an immigration judge dismissed Mr Aviles's case on Monday, shortly after he was processed into a Miami immigration detention centre. The Department of Homeland Security did not provide comment on the arrest or subsequent release.
Mr Aviles's arrest follows a series of high-profile immigration detentions involving immediate family members of enlisted US soldiers, occurring amidst Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. A congressional investigation into the Department of Homeland Security's practices has recently been initiated by elected officials.