An Afghan refugee who was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in a San Diego immigration court earlier this month now faces an increased risk of deportation after a judge dismissed his case late last week.
Sayed Naser was switched to expedited removal proceedings, during which failing a credible fear interview conducted with an asylum officer in ICE detention results in immediate deportation.
His attorney says that although Naser has been promised a credible fear interview, no date has been scheduled.
His case’s dismissal comes after a recent Supreme Court order allowing the Trump administration to send immigrants to countries that are not their place of origin, or “third countries,” without giving them the chance to present fears of torture, persecution, or death.
Asylum-seeker Sayed Naser aided the U.S. military as a translator and contractor, providing transportation and equipment services, according to his asylum application. His application also detailed the significant threat he faces in Afghanistan — his brother was killed by the Taliban during a family wedding.
Shawn VanDiver, president of the coalition AfghanEvac, said that Naser’s case is not an outlier, but a preview of retreating support by the federal administration for refugees. The Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts, or CARE, is a U.S. government office focused on relocating and processing Afghans who are at risk in Afghanistan due to their association with the U.S.
The CARE contact center is shutting down at the end of July, according to VanDiver.
“In a particularly cruel twist, thousands of Afghans who came here legally under Biden-era permissions are now being told they no longer have protection,” said VanDiver at a conference. “When they go to court, they are telling them that those protections were improvidently issued.”
Assemblymember Chris Ward, who represents central San Diego, spoke out in support of Naser in the press conference. He called on ICE to release Nayer, saying that the “honor of what it means to be America” is on the line.
Naser entered the United States legally. He first traveled to Iran in 2023, from where he obtained a humanitarian visa to Brazil and then traveled through Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico, where he applied for parole in the United States. He received parole in July of last year.
“What we are seeing is unacceptable for any government, and California is not going to stand by while you rip apart our communities,” Ward said. “We are doing everything in our power to stand up for our communities but we should not at all be in this position in the first place.”
Naser’s case inspired the creation of Battle Buddies — an AfghanEvac initiative launched last week to support wartime allies through their immigration proceedings.
The initiative allows veterans to volunteer to attend public immigration hearings with Afghanis targeted by ICE. According to Marine Corps combat veteran Kyleanne Hunter, over 235 veterans have already signed up to volunteer.
“Battle Buddies is not a protest, but a continued commitment to the promise,” Hunter said in the press conference. “It is our continued commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder to those who stood with us.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
