Latest news with #Naser
The Hill
06-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Trump's treatment of immigrants is harmful, immoral, un-American
In May, an 18-year-old named Marcelo Gomez, who has lived in the U.S. on an expired visa since he was 7, was arrested on his way to a volleyball game in Milford, Mass. During his six days in detention, Marcelo was unable to change his clothes. He slept on a concrete floor and shared a toilet with 35 to 40 other men. In June, 48-year-old Narcisco Barranco, an undocumented immigrant with no criminal record who was working as a gardener in Santa Ana, Calif., was pinned to the pavement and repeatedly hit in the head by four masked Customs and Border Patrol agents. After a formal request by the Mexican Consulate General in Los Angeles, Barranco received medical attention for his wounds and a heart condition. One of his three sons — all of whom served in the U.S. Marines — rebutted Trump administration claims that Barranco had attempted to assault officers with his weed trimmer, and said that if he had treated someone in this way when he was in uniform, 'it would have been a war crime.' Around the same time, Sayed Naser was detained by ICE agents following a hearing on his Special Immigrant Visa application and placed in an expedited removal facility in San Diego. A civilian interpreter who had worked with U.S. troops in Afghanistan, Naser fled to Brazil after the Taliban had killed his brother and abducted his father during a family wedding. Naser subsequently traveled 6,000 miles to Mexico on foot and was granted parole into the U.S. while seeking asylum. In May, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem terminated Temporary Protected Status for Afghans, putting 11,000 of them at risk of deportation. If Naser, who does not have a criminal record, fails to pass his 'credible threat' interview, which will be conducted over the telephone without his lawyer, he will almost certainly be deported. His wife and children remain in hiding. A few days ago, Kilmar Abrego Garcia stated in a legal filing that he had been beaten and tortured in the notoriously brutal Salvadoran prison which the Department of Justice deported him to by mistake. These cases provide compelling evidence that the Trump administration's detention and deportation polices conflict with the traditions, values and 'do unto others' sense of fairness and decency of a nation of immigrants. Of the 59,000 immigrants now in detention, over 70 percent were arrested in the interior of the U.S., not at or near the border. Forty-seven percent have no criminal convictions; of those who do, the most common crimes are violations of immigration and traffic laws. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has so far apprehended only 6 percent of known immigrant murderers and 11 percent of immigrants convicted of sexual assault. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt — apparently unaware that living in the U.S. as an undocumented immigrant is a civil, not a criminal offense (except for those apprehended while crossing the border) — told reporters that everyone arrested by ICE is a criminal 'because they illegally broke our nation's laws.' In fact, the immigrant population, both documented and undocumented, commit crimes at a lower rate than native-born citizens. In Texas, undocumented immigrants are 47 percent less likely to be convicted of a crime than those who were born here. Facilities housing detainees are often grotesquely overcrowded. Medication is not always provided, detainees can spend a week between showers, and family members are not always told where their loved ones are. According to Paul Chavez, director at Americans for Immigrant Justice in Florida, 'conditions were never great, but this is horrendous.' Between Jan. 1, 2025 and late June, 10 immigrants died while in ICE custody, two of them by suicide, almost three times the rate while Joe Biden was president. Last week, two detainees were added to the list. One of them, Isidro Perez, was a 75-year-old Cuban immigrant, who came to America 59 years ago and was convicted of possession of a controlled substance in 1984. Law enforcement officials are required to identify themselves when making an arrest 'as soon as it is practical and safe to do so,' indicate their authority to detain the suspect and obey restrictions on searches and seizures. But federal laws don't stipulate the circumstances under which government officials can wear masks. Although President Trump has called for the immediate arrest of masked protesters, Homeland Security officials defend masks as necessary to protect ICE agents from retaliation. Critics point out that masks and plain clothes increase the likelihood that suspects will mistake law enforcement officers for criminals and make it more difficult to hold agents accountable for using excessive force. 'What other definition of secret police is there,' Boston Mayor Michelle Wu asked, 'when people are getting snatched off the streets by masked individuals, not being told where they're going, disappeared until somehow someone finds some information?' Although Americans continue to support secure borders, a recent poll revealed that 57 percent of them do not approve of Trump's handling of immigration and ICE tactics. Perhaps for this reason, Trump has tried to have it both ways on immigration. During his 2024 campaign, he promised to arrest 'the worst first.' Last month, Trump declared, 'all of them [i.e. '21 million Illegal Aliens'] have to go home, as do countless other Illegals and Criminals, who will turn us into a bankrupt Third World Nation.' Yet Trump also said that employers feared that 'our very aggressive policy on immigration is taking very good, long-time workers away from them, with their jobs being almost impossible to replace.' Vowing to 'get the CRIMINALS OUT OF THE USA,' Trump indicated he would pause ICE raids on farms, meatpacking plants, hotels and restaurants. But Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of public affairs at DHS, quickly declared, 'The president has been incredibly clear. There will be no safe spaces for industries who harbor violent criminals or purposely try to undermine ICE's efforts.' It remains unclear at this writing whether Trump will order a pause. Meanwhile, the number of detainees and deportees keeps growing — as do reports of denials of due process and access to legal representation. Rep. Tony Gonzalez (R-Texas) and five other congressional Republicans have called on the administration to prioritize enforcement: 'Every minute that we spend pursuing an individual with a clean record is a minute less that we dedicate to apprehending terrorists or cartel operatives.' How low do poll numbers have to sink, and how many more employers will have to pressure the White House, before the president decides his approach to immigration is bad policy and bad politics? Glenn C. Altschuler is the Thomas and Dorothy Litwin Emeritus Professor of American Studies at Cornell University.
The Hill
02-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Trump's ‘big beautiful bill' will make the immigration court mess even worse
Recently, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested Sayed Naser, an Afghan man who had spent years translating for the U.S. military, as he left an immigration court hearing in San Diego. Naser had done everything we ask of those seeking safe harbor in the U.S. When Taliban fighters killed his brother and abducted his father from a family wedding for working with the U.S., Naser and his family fled to Brazil, then made the long and dangerous trek here on foot. In 2024, he made an appointment with U.S. Customs and Border Protection as he entered the country. There, government officials paroled Naser into the U.S., where he applied for asylum and a Special Immigrant Visa created for foreign nationals who work with the U.S. in a war zone. On June 11, 2025, Naser went to his first hearing before an immigration judge, as was required for his asylum application. When he arrived, however, a lawyer for the Department of Homeland Security claimed that his case had been 'improvidently issued.' Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents waiting outside the courtroom handcuffed him. He is now in immigration detention, and his wife and children are in hiding. Although shocking, Naser's case is sadly no longer unusual. Since May, as part of their effort to meet a 3,000 person per day quota, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents across the country have been arresting hundreds of people as they leave their immigration hearings. Arresting people in and around courthouses used to be largely off limits — and for good reason. Such practices mean that immigrants face an impossible choice: go to court to follow the law and apply for immigration or asylum status legally — and face possible arrest there and then, or fail to appear, give up your legal claims to asylum or a green card, and have the judge order deportation in your absence. There is another, much less visible way that immigrants' access to the courts is now in peril as well. If Trump's budget reconciliation bill passes as written, immigrants and asylum seekers like Naser will face exorbitant fees that will prevent almost everyone from having their day in court. Under the bill, people paroled into the United States would have to pay a $1,000 fee upon entering plus a $550 work authorization fee. To renew or extend parole — which people would have to do at least every six months — there would be an additional $550 fee. Then, to apply for asylum, there would be another $1,000 fee. And if an applicant needed more time to find a lawyer or to collect documents, the court would charge another $100 for each continuance the person requested in court. Similar fees would apply for people applying for other kinds of status, including for youth traveling alone and for people fleeing countries decimated by war or natural disasters. Naser — who walked to the U.S. on foot from Brazil — almost certainly does not have thousands of dollars to apply for asylum. Neither most other immigrants and asylum seekers. These fees would effectively deny access to the courts for all but the very wealthy. Arresting people as they try to do the right thing by going through our legal system — and charging them such high fees that no one can afford to go to court — undermines the rule of law that is the bedrock of our country. Due process, which is enshrined in the Fifth and 14th amendments to the Constitution, requires that the government prove its case in court and give individuals the right to be heard before it can deprive them of life, liberty or property. Due process protects not only the rights of immigrants (or citizens mistaken as immigrants) from unfair deportation, but it also requires the government to prove its case against someone before imprisoning them, to go to court before taking someone's property or benefits, and to hold a hearing before removing a person's child. Courts play an essential role in our society. Their purpose is to ensure that everyone is treated fairly under the law and insist that the government follows fair procedures. They place a critical check on abuses of power by the executive and legislative branches. When due process breaks down and people can no longer access immigration courts — whether for fear of what will happen when they appear or simply because the price tag to access justice is too high — that will further stoke fear in immigrant communities and dissuade people from asserting their rights in court. But it should also strike fear in all of us because when access to justice is threatened for some, it is a threat to our entire system of justice, which is a grave threat to us all. Lauren Jones is the Legal and Policy Director at the National Center for Access to Justice at Fordham Law School
Daily Tribune
26-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Tribune
Naser breaks 400m record in Ostrava
Calm Execution, Confident Form After the race, Naser admitted the record came as an unexpected bonus. 'I wasn't even aware of the meeting record,' she said. 'My focus was simply on running relaxed and enjoying the moment. We've put in a lot of work this season, so getting the win feels really rewarding.' Her measured tone reflects a season where consistency has been the goal. She has already claimed wins over multiple distances, including the 200m and 500m. Strong Field This was the first time Naser and Bol – two of the sport's standout names – lined up in the same race. The presence of both athletes elevated the profile of the competition, and their post-race mutual respect showed a sense of shared ambition within the sport's elite. Poland's Natalia Bukowiecka (50.21) and Chile's Martina Weil (50.52) completed the top five, while British sprinter Nicole Yeargin (51.53) and Czech athletes Lada Vondrova (52.00) and Barbora Malikova (52.08) rounded out the field. Focus Turns to Tokyo Naser, now 27, is a former world champion and an Olympic silver-medallist. She's set to be a central figure for Bahrain at September's World Athletics Championships in Tokyo – a stage where her experience and form could come together at just the right time.
Los Angeles Times
23-06-2025
- Los Angeles Times
Afghan national who entered the U.S. legally detained during an immigration hearing in San Diego
An Afghan national who served as a translator for the U.S. military and entered the U.S. legally was arrested during his immigration hearing in San Diego and is now being detained. On June 12, Sayed Naser, whose full name is being withheld because of safety reasons, was at a courthouse in San Diego for a routine immigration hearing and was detained by ICE agents wearing neck gaiters over their faces, according to video of the incident. 'I came here to make a better life,' Naser said in the video clip. 'I worked with the U.S. military. I worked in a very dangerous part of Afghanistan with the U.S. military.' Naser worked as a translator and logistics contractor for the U.S. forces at military bases in Afghanistan, according to a press release from AfghanEvac, a nonprofit created to support the safe relocation of Afghan allies. Naser's brother was killed by the Taliban in September 2023 during a wedding, forcing him and his family to go into hiding in Iran. A representative for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement could not immediately be reached for comment on this case. He got a humanitarian visa to Brazil and entered the U.S. legally in July 2024 through Mexico, according to the release. He was granted humanitarian parole, applied for a Special Immigrant Visa and was in the process of scheduling an asylum hearing when he was arrested by ICE. Naser has no criminal record, has an active asylum case and has another brother who was granted asylum weeks before Naser was detained, according to the release. During the hearing, the U.S. government tried to dismiss his asylum case, saying that Naser's notice to appear was 'improvidently issued' without giving any other explanation, according to the release. The judge didn't dismiss the case and gave Naser and his attorney time to respond to the motion. 'We were one hearing away from having his asylum hearing and we're dismayed that we're so close to him being granted asylum and this administration just has this 3,000-a-day policy and is blindly grabbing what looks like low hanging fruit,' said Naser's attorney, Brian McGoldrick. McGoldrick was referring to White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller who said last month that ICE should arrest at least 3,000 undocumented migrants a day. As of early June, around 51,000 undocumented migrants were in ICE custody, the highest number since September 2019. Naser is being held at the Otay Mesa Detention Center, McGoldrick said. He said Naser is dismayed about being arrested and is also concerned because he hasn't been able to contact his family, who is still in hiding in Iran during an internet blackout. McGoldrick said that Naser thought he would have gotten better treatment after he helped out with the U.S. forces in the Middle East. 'Now they want to short circuit the whole process,' McGoldrick added.
Newsweek
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
He Helped American Soldiers in Afghanistan. Now He's in ICE Detention
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Federal agents detained a former U.S. Army interpreter from Afghanistan, forced to flee his home country because of the Taliban, at his asylum hearing in California last week. The arrest at an immigration court in San Diego on Thursday was caught on video, with Sayed Naser heard calmly telling the masked agents detaining him that he worked as an interpreter in his home country. Newsweek reached out to Naser's attorney and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for comment via contact form and email Wednesday morning. Why It Matters Afghans who worked with the U.S. military during its 20-year stretch in the country were welcomed to the U.S. as refugees, on Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) following the U.S. withdrawal in 2021, but some have had TPS withdrawn by the Trump administration, opening them up to the prospect of deportation. Sayed Naser is arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at a courthouse in San Diego on June 12, 2025. Sayed Naser is arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at a courthouse in San Diego on June 12, 2025. AfghanEvac What To Know Naser was legally paroled into the U.S. in 2024, per immigration documents shared with Newsweek, having applied for asylum using the Biden-era CBP One app and entering via the San Ysidro port of entry on the southwest border. The interpreter, who worked with the U.S. military for about three years, had a pending SIV application, wanting to stay in the U.S. out of fear he would be detained, tortured and killed should he return to Afghanistan. His brother was killed by the Taliban in 2023, while his father was abducted. "While collaborating with U.S. forces, I faced numerous threats and attacks," Naser wrote in his declaration to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS). "Several times, I narrowly escaped harm, but over seven of our vehicles were burned by the Taliban. "To them, anyone or any company working with foreign forces is considered an infidel and a legitimate target for killing. For this reason, after the fall [of the] government, it became impossible for us to live in Afghanistan. We had to leave the country by any means necessary." Naser's story is similar to many who had helped American troops and were left behind during the chaotic U.S. withdrawal in 2021. He first traveled to Brazil before making the journey north to the U.S.-Mexico border via the notorious Darien Gap. On Thursday, Naser had his immigration court hearing in San Diego, but the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) attorney reportedly said that his case was "'improvidently issued," giving Naser and his attorney, Brian McGoldrick, 10 days to respond. McGoldrick said at a briefing Tuesday that an asylum hearing was set for September and court was adjourned. Outside the courtroom, ICE agents were waiting and demanded to know Naser's name. When agents asked McGoldrick for documents, he said in the video that he had none for them. Agents then moved to take Naser, placing him in handcuffs as he turned to the camera. "I worked with the U.S. military back in my home country, I have all the documents, I didn't have a credible-fear interview," Naser said, repeatedly saying he worked with the U.S. military before agents took him away to the Otay Mesa Detention Center. Naser's arrest was denounced by the group Unite for Veterans, which said that the U.S. had a responsibility to protect Afghan allies. The advocacy group #AfghanEvac also called out the federal government for breaking its promise to those who served alongside U.S. troops. ICE has increased its detention efforts at immigration courts across the country, amid pressure from the White House to reach a daily arrest target of 3,000 immigrants. What People Are Saying Brian McGoldrick, Naser's attorney, at a press briefing Tuesday: "It's really shocking what's happening in the courthouse in San Diego and around the country. You walk down the hall and it's like you're walking down executioner's just so intimidating. The clients are terrorized." #AfghanEvac, in a statement shared with Newsweek: "Let's be clear: "Improvidently issued" is being abused. It has no standard meaning, no transparency, and no accountability. It is being weaponized to short-circuit due process and to meet quiet enforcement quotas. And Sayed is not alone. This is part of a broader pattern: quietly shutting doors, denying pathways, and undermining the very mechanisms we created to keep our promises to our allies." Unite for Veterans, in a press release: "Our Afghan allies protected us when we needed them. They shared our humvees. They were wounded with us. They gave their lives to protect us. Now it is our turn to look after them. We owe them. They are our teammates, our fellow soldiers, patriots. We cannot let those who risked their lives for our shared values be denied the safety and opportunity they deserve and that we promised them." What Happens Next Naser remains in custody and is awaiting further hearings. ICE has not commented on the case.
