18 January 2024, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Schwerin: ILLUSTRATION - A policeman holds handcuffs in his hand. Photo: Marcus Brandt/dpa (Photo by Marcus Brandt/picture alliance via Getty Images)
San Diego, California – A video recorded in the halls of a federal courthouse in San Diego has captured a deeply unsettling scene: a man calmly telling Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents that he served as an interpreter for the U.S. military in Afghanistan—while being detained.
The man, whose name is being withheld at the request of his attorney, arrived in the United States within the past two years, after failing to secure evacuation during the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. He sought asylum at the San Ysidro Port of Entry using the now-defunct CBP One mobile app; authorities granted him temporary parole. Before his arrest he was pursuing a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV), a pathway specifically created for Afghan nationals who worked with U.S. forces.
His attorney, Brian McGoldrick, says the man faced repeated threats from the Taliban for his work with American troops, and now fears detention, torture, and possibly death if forced to return. Despite this, ICE reportedly moved to dismiss his asylum case and placed him in expedited removal proceedings.
The video is just one of several recent incidents showing ICE detaining individuals inside courthouse hallways—raising concerns among immigration attorneys and advocates about a lack of due process and the chilling effect on those seeking legal recourse.
The timing and location of the arrest have compounded the distress: it occurred in a federal building, a space where immigrants are supposed to pursue legal protection safely. According to McGoldrick, “they want to deny him even the opportunity to have his asylum case heard.”
The incident has struck a nerve among veterans and advocates who have worked for years to help resettle Afghan allies. James Seddon, a 21-year Navy veteran and member of the #AfghanEvac coalition, said the detention sends a dangerous message to future wartime partners around the world. Seddon, who served in Afghanistan, expressed deep concern about the implications for U.S. credibility, warning that actions like these undermine promises made to those who risk their lives alongside American forces.
In the video, the man being detained is heard explaining his situation calmly, stating he came to the U.S. to build a better life and had worked in one of the most dangerous regions of Afghanistan. He remains in custody as of Friday.
His case is the latest in a troubling pattern that raises difficult questions about the country’s treatment of those who risked everything to stand beside American soldiers—and who are now left navigating a system that seems poised to send them back into harm’s way.
