Afghan Soldier Who Was Arrested at US-Mexico Border After Fleeing Taliban Is Granted Asylum

A former Afghan intelligence officer who fled his home country after the Taliban retook power has been granted asylum after he was arrested while crossing the US-Mexico border.

Abdul Wasi Safi, 27, will be allowed to stay in the US following a grueling journey through 12 countries. He faced death if he was deported back to Afghanistan, his family said.

He was arrested at the border in Texas in September 2022 and detained there for several months before lawmakers and attorneys stepped in to secure his release.

Wasi Safi was among tens of thousands of Afghans who sought safety outside of the country after the Taliban regained control in August 2021.

He first landed in Brazil last year before traveling through dense jungles on foot and crossing rivers by boat. In Panama, he was beaten by police officers, leaving him with tooth and jaw damage and permanent hearing loss.

The asylum decision was a surprise to Wasi Safi's brothers, who live in Houston. His asylum hearing wasn't scheduled until November.

“I have tears of joy in my eyes,” Sami Safi, Wasi's older brother, said. “Now he can live here. Now he can be safe here.”

Wasi Safi's lawyer, Olsa Alikaj-Cano, had asked a Houston Immigration Court judge to dismiss the hearing so that the former Afghan National Security Forces officer could be granted asylum immediately.

The judge agreed to expedite the decision, but Wasi Safi still had to complete the usual asylum requirements, including a rigorous series of background checks and interviews as well as having application letters sent on his behalf.

“It’s great news. It’s the true story of someone who’s done so much for our country and who deserves asylum. Asylum is meant to be issued to individuals like Wasi,” Alikaj-Cano said.

Some 90,000 Afghans who worked alongside American soldiers during the war have been transported to the US. But many others have had to make their way to the country on their own.

Wasi Safi can start work immediately and can apply for a green card starting next year. After another four years, he can apply for full citizenship.

Sami Safi, Wasi Safi's brother, said the family will now turn its attention to their parents and other siblings who are still stuck in Afghanistan under Taliban rule.

“They were full of joy after hearing about my brother. And we’re just only hoping and praying that we get to see them, we get to bring them here, so that my brothers and my sisters can pursue happiness and live a peaceful life,” he said.

With the Associated Press