Contributed photo
Zia S., arrested by ICE while in the process of getting a Green Card.
A reporter with Migrant Insider asked President Donald Trump on Wednesday what America’s debt is to its Afghan war allies: “There’s a lot of talk of sending them back.”
Trump responded that, for “90 percent” of those allies, “we’re going to take care of those people, the ones who did a job, who were told certain things.”
In a same-day press release, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal reminded Trump to remember Zia.
“President Trump’s comments today acknowledging the sacred responsibility we have to our Afghan allies who stood beside our servicemembers for decades must be matched with action — starting with freeing a Connecticut resident,” Blumenthal said in a statement. “Zia is an Afghan interpreter, the brother of an American citizen, legally residing here and well on his way to obtaining a Green Card. He was apprehended by ICE while he was at a USCIS office to provide biometric information as part of his Green Card application process.
“Zia’s family members were tortured in Afghanistan in retribution for the work he and his brother did for our country. Deporting him to Afghanistan is a death sentence. President Trump: You can prove that your promise means something by giving Zia and those like him the safety and security they deserve.”
As first reported by the Independent’s Mona Mahadevan, masked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested Zia on July 16. ICE is seeking to deport him on an expedited basis. Zia came to the U.S legally in October 2024 on a humanitarian parole visa and followed the procedures for obtaining a green card, according to Zia’s attorney and Blumenthal, who hosted a virtual press conference regarding Zia on July 22. Blumenthal noted that Zia has no criminal history since settling here. Read a full account of his case here.