Masked ICE agents detain former Afghan interpreter who helped US military
Identified only as Zia by members of Congress and his attorney out of concern for his safety and that of his family, the man had worked as an interpreter for the U.S. military during the war in Afghanistan.
He was in the United States legally and was arrested after an appointment in Connecticut related to his application for a green card under a program to protect people who worked for U.S. forces, according to human-rights advocates, his attorney and members of Congress.
Since starting his second term in January, Republican President Donald Trump has pursued a broad crackdown on immigration.
"What happened to him is the worst kind of abhorrent violation of basic decency," Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut told reporters on a call with advocates to draw attention to the case of Zia and at least two other Afghans who worked for the U.S. and have been seized by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
"He actually worked and risked his life in Afghanistan to uphold the values and rights that are central to democracy," Blumenthal said.
Blumenthal and two other Democrats, representatives Jahana Hayes, who serves Zia's district in Connecticut, and Bill Keating, who represents the Massachusetts city where Zia is being held, all pledged to fight for his release.
A judge has issued a temporary stay preventing Zia's removal from the United States, but he remains in detention.
Asked for comment, the Department of Homeland Security said the Afghan national entered the U.S. on October 8, 2024, and is under investigation for a "serious criminal allegation," adding, "All of his claims will be heard by a judge. Any Afghan who fears persecution is able to request relief."
The emailed statement from DHS provided no further details.
Zia's attorney, Lauren Petersen, said he was approved for humanitarian parole in 2024 due to a direct threat from Afghanistan's Taliban rulers. She said he has no criminal history and, when asked about DHS's saying he was under investigation for a "serious criminal allegation," she said she had no understanding of what they were referring to.
Humanitarian parole is a form of temporary permission under American law to be in the country for "urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit," allowing recipients to live and work in the United States.
More than 70,000 Afghans entered the U.S. under former Democratic President Joe Biden's "Operation Allies Welcome" initiative following the Taliban takeover in 2021, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The Trump administration's immigration crackdown has included mass deportations and reversing "temporary protected status" granted to people already in the U.S. who cannot return to their home countries due to armed conflicts, natural disasters or other extraordinary events.
U.S. agencies have moved to terminate that status for some 14,600 Afghans.
Shawn VanDiver, the founder of #AfghanEvac, the main coalition of veterans and advocacy groups that coordinated resettlements of Afghans with the U.S. government, said on the call with reporters and lawmakers that he was aware of at least two other Afghans detained after being admitted to the United States because they had worked for the U.S. military.
He said his group, and veterans organizations, were working for their release.
"It's about whether this country honors its word to those who risk everything," he said.
(This story has been refiled to add the dropped word 'interpreter' to the headline)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
12 minutes ago
- The Sun
Donald Trump slams ‘invasion' of migrants ‘killing' Europe & tells leaders ‘get your act together' as he lands in UK
DONALD Trump said the "invasion" of migrants is "killing" Europe as he told the leaders to "get their act together" after landing in the UK. The MAGA prez touched down on Air Force One in Scotland this evening for a four-day visit - his first visit to the UK since his re-election. 4 4 4 He is expected to visit his golf resorts at Turnberry on the Ayrshire coast and Menie in Aberdeenshire over the weekend. The president was greeted by Scottish Secretary Ian Murray before speaking to reporters. But when asked about illegal immigration, Trump said a "horrible invasion" was taking place in Europe which needs to stop. Don said: "On immigration, you better get your act together. 'You're not going to have Europe anymore, you've got to get your act together. 'As you know, last month we had nobody entering our country – nobody, [we] shut it down.' He added: 'You've got to stop this horrible invasion that's happening to Europe.' Trump, who made a crackdown on illegal immigration a major policy in his second term at the White House, boasted: "Last month we had nobody entering our country." Trump's comments come as Sir Keir Starmer faces enormous pressure to tackle illegal immigration in the UK. In Labour's first six months in office, there was a 29 per cent increase in arrivals compared to the previous year. Migrants REFUSING to leave luxury taxpayer-funded hotels forcing Home Office crackdown From election day to the end of 2024, 23,242 migrants arrived to enjoy bed and board on the taxpayer. In 2025 — so far — another 21,117 have crossed, up a staggering 56 per cent compared to 2024 and a shocking 75 per cent higher than in 2023. Labour has vowed to end the use of asylum hotels by the 2029 election, in part by moving migrants to cheaper forms of taxpayer-funded accommodation. But just days ago, Sir Keir sparked uproar by claiming there was plenty of spare housing for both illegal migrants and homeless Brits. Meanwhile, a four-star hotel in London's flash financial district Canary Wharf was set up to receive hundreds of new migrants. The latest batch of small boat migrants who have illegally landed are ready to be hosted in style to the tune of £5.5million a day. Mr Trump also suggested he would be meeting Sir Keir 'tomorrow evening', although it is understood the pair will not meet until Monday. He praised him ahead of a meeting between the two at one of his courses in the coming days, describing him as a 'good man'. 'I like your Prime Minister, he's slightly more liberal than I am – as you probably heard – but he's a good man. He got a trade deal done,' he said. As well as the Prime Minister, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen is also set to meet Trump. She confirmed on X that she will come to Scotland on Sunday in a bid to hash out a trade deal between the US and Europe. It comes after Trump s lapped Europe with a whopping 30 per cent tariff set to hit the EU from August. But he told journalists today there was a 'good 50/50 chance' of a deal being struck, adding that it would be the 'biggest deal of them all'. The president and Sir Keir are expected to discuss potential changes to the UK-US trade deal which came into force last month. After years watching Channel migrant crisis unfold Brits have just about snapped – and it's killing Starmer Opinion by Jack Elsom, Political Editor CAST your mind back to Christmas 2018 when a few dozen migrants clambered into rickety dinghies off the French coast and headed for Britain. Then-Home Secretary Sajid Javid flew back early from his family holiday to declare a 'major incident', MPs called for the Navy to be deployed and the public rightly demanded action. You don't need me to tell you what happened next: over the next seven years 174,000 more would-be asylum seekers crossed the English Channel. Billions of pounds of taxpayer cash have been ploughed into snapping up hotels for them to live in, with free bed and board. The lives of vulnerable men, women and children have been tragically lost. And families feeling the pinch have watched agog as successive governments throw good money after bad. Yesterday's revelation that thousands of asylum seekers have been gambling with money from taxpayer-funded pre-paid cards was shocking. But in many ways what is more depressing is that nobody is even really surprised any more. Read the full piece here.
Reuters
12 minutes ago
- Reuters
US agencies pause effort to block immigrant social services in states that sued
NEW YORK, July 25 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's administration agreed on Friday to pause efforts to block immigrants who are living in the U.S. illegally from accessing certain federally funded social services in 20 Democratic-led states that sued over the policy changes. The U.S. Departments of Justice, Health and Human Services, Education, and Labor agreed to wait until at least September 3 to enforce the changes that affect programs providing early childhood education, food and healthcare. The agencies also agreed not to enforce the changes retroactively in New York, California, Illinois, or the other states that sued, according to an agreement filed in Rhode Island federal court, where the states had filed their lawsuit. New York Attorney General Letitia James said the agreement preserves social services "that millions of New Yorkers rely on to survive." "These policy changes threaten essential lifelines like health care, education, and nutrition assistance programs for hardworking families in New York and nationwide," James said in a statement. "My office will continue to fight for these programs and services on behalf of all who need them." The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. More than 20 Democratic attorneys general had sued on Monday arguing that the policies, which implement an immigration-focused executive order from Trump, are unconstitutional and that the Republican president issued them without following the required federal rulemaking process. The policy changes require programs to check participants' immigration status before giving access to essential public services like Head Start, Meals on Wheels, child welfare programs, domestic violence shelters, housing assistance, mental health treatment, food banks, and community health centers. The states said the directives threatened to pull federal funding from states and could force some programs to shutter altogether. The requirements went into effect almost immediately after the directives were issued, leaving the programs scrambling to find ways to comply so they can stay open, the states said. States have always needed to verify a person's lawful immigration status before allowing them to access certain federal programs, like Medicaid. But federal agencies have previously taken the position that states did not have to verify immigration status for some programs, like soup kitchens, homeless shelters, and crisis counseling centers, that received federal funding but were intended to be "open to all," according to the lawsuit.
Daily Mail
12 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
American Idol boss and her husband were in safety meeting with LAPD chief hours before their murder
American Idol music supervisor Robin Kaye and her musician husband attended a meeting with Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell hours before they were murdered in cold blood. The Daily Mail can reveal that the couple were at a Community-Police Advisory Board briefing on July 9 where senior LAPD officers - including McDonnell - faced residents concerned by the increase in violent crime in the upscale Encino neighborhood. The cops offered advice on how members of the community could protect themselves after a surge in break-ins and other lawlessness. The following day, Kaye and her husband Thomas DeLuca were shot execution-style in the head in their $4.5million home. They were gunned down by the callous intruder who used the victims' own weapon that they had for self-defense. Despite a 4pm call by a neighbor to 911 to report an intruder at the property on the same day, their bodies were not discovered at the gated mansion on White Oak Avenue until four days later on July 14 after frantic family members requested a welfare check. Suspect Raymond Boodarian was arrested by lawmen, with weapons drawn, the following day at the nearby rented Reseda townhome he shared with his mother and sister. The 22-year-old has been charged with two counts of murder and other offenses in relation to the deaths. The savage murders have horrified residents of LA, especially those who live in the same community where celebrities such as Machine Gun Kelly, Michael B. Jordan and Matt LeBlanc have homes. 'We just couldn't be more saddened and shocked at what has occurred in the neighborhood,' Rob Glushon, President of the Encino Property Owners Association, told the Daily Mail exclusively. Kaye, he said, regularly attended the association's monthly community zoom meetings on crime and other local issues and praised her as 'someone who wasn't just complaining about things, but was trying to do something about it.' He lauded her as a 'good neighbor' who 'believed in the mantra, if you see something, say something. 'When it comes to neighborhood protection, it actually doesn't start with the police - it starts with neighbors watching out for each other.' Glushon confirmed that Kaye and her husband, both aged 70, had attended the C-PAB branch meeting with the chief of police which was held at the local West Valley LAPD station in Reseda. A source, who met the couple for the first time at the meeting and sat at the same table with them for two hours, told the Daily Mail he was stunned to hear of their murders the following day. 'It's incredible,' he said. 'Beyond tragic. I could tell they were a lovely couple. They spoke movingly about their concerns about crime but also how much they loved the area.' With chilling happenstance, the event location at the police station was just half a mile north from Boodarian's home and the site of his arrest. Glushon also spoke of Kaye's fear after a previous break-in in May when an intruder entered the home when the couple was home but fled. He said 'she was concerned over what she had experienced, which was pretty scary.' Boodarian allegedly scaled a wall to get onto the property and entered the home through an unlocked door 30 minutes after the pair arrived home from grocery shopping. Prosecutors allege he placed a call to emergency services on his cell phone during the break-in at about 4.40pm. The dispatcher was told that someone had broken in and they could hear the caller say: 'Please don't shoot me!' The unidentified caller then told the operator that a police response was not required. Follow-up attempts to reach the caller by phone were unsuccessful. Police units and a helicopter surveyed the location but reported seeing no signs of a break-in or foul play. A spokesperson for the Los Angeles District Attorney confirmed to the Daily Mail 'that the suspect placed a 911 call and that the firearm involved in the homicide was registered to the victim.' Jennifer Forkish of the LAPD added: 'The first call came from a neighboring resident who reported a potential burglary in progress but was unable to be reached during attempts to follow up. 'The second call came later from an individual claiming to be a resident inside the location. The caller eventually advised that police response was not necessary and follow-up attempts to reach the caller were unsuccessful.' She added that responding units from West Valley Division and LAPD Air Support Division responded to both calls. 'Officers arrived on scene and conducted a check of the surrounding area and attempted to visually check the residence through the security gate. 'They attempted entry at two access points but both were locked and secured. The home was secured with surrounding walls. The Air Ship visually checked the location and advised there was no visible activity or evidence of break in. After taking additional steps to contact the persons reporting and residents at the location, officers cleared from the scene.' Despite assurances by law enforcement that crime has dropped in the Encino area following a 'huge uptick' break-ins last year, Glushon is not convinced. 'They will tell you that Encino is one of the safest areas in the city to live in,' he commented. 'They will tell you that crime in the West Valley and Encino is down from last year. They will say that burglaries in particular and any kind of home invasion is down. 'That's what they say. That's what the statistics say. 'We did get increased police resources and the burglaries went back to normal but now we have some homes being hit more than once in the same week.' Residents, especially now following the deaths of Kaye and Deluca, are scared. 'If you walk our neighborhood a majority of people do not feel safe,' explained Glushon. 'Compared with other cities and populations, we have the fewest number of police officers per capita. 'We are so deficient compared to Chicago, New York and other cities.' Boodarian is yet to enter a plea. His next court appearance is scheduled for August 20. He is currently being held without bail at the Twin Towers Correction Facility in downtown LA.
